Link's Teacher
by BigBossofMoss
Summary: We all know Link is a master swordsman. But was he really one from the start? I doubt it. So here comes our favorite red-headed mercenary to help train Link and travel with him. OoT Link *K*
1. Plea from Martel

**Me: Well this story just came to me the other day when I was thinking about Twilight Princess. We know that the Heroes' Shade from Twilight Princess is the "Link" from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask because of a number of reasons (if u haven't finished Twilight Princess exit my story and finish the game and then come back):**

**1 The Heroes' Shade admitted that he was the hero of time after you learned the final hidden skill.**

**2 The Heroes' Shade's shield was the mirror shield Oot/MM Link got in the Redead well in MM.**

**3 The Heroes' Shade's sword was the Gilded sword Link got when he had his Kokiri sword melted together with golden dust and reforged into a more powerful sword.**

**So that being said, I was wondering how Oot Link learned how to use a sword. So I have Kratos tagging along with Link teaching him how to use a sword.**

**O.o yeah, all Link's enemies are doomed a hundred times over now!**

**Wow, that was a lot said, anyway, here's my new story Link's Teacher**

Chapter 1

Plea from Martel

"Don't die before I do Lloyd…my son."

Kratos was instantly transported to Derris Kharlan in the blink of an eye. But to him, it felt like an eternity. He still couldn't believe he was leaving his only son to dismantle and destroy all of Cruxis' exspheres and crystals. But deep down he knew it had to be done. Never again will a tragedy like the one he had to live through have to happen again.

* * *

Kratos inserted the last of a capsule of Cruxis Crystals into the launcher.

"Alright David, now launch the capsule."

The angel whose name was David activated the launch sequence and both of them watched as capsule was launched into the far reaches of space.

"It's finally over, thank you for your help." Kratos smiled at the young angel.

David just returned the smile. "It was my pleasure Lord Kratos."

Kratos just rolled his eyes. "I told you, you don't have to call me that anymore."

Over the few weeks drifting through space, Kratos decided that he should readjust all of the key crests of the remaining angels on Welgaia. He silently debated if this was a wise choice but he felt it was the right thing to do. As of now, all the remaining…fifty or so angels had their souls back. There were more angels before; however, Mithos killed most of them when he returned here in Colette's body.

Kratos second hand man now was an angel named David who was an expert in all magitechnology on Derris Kharlan so Kratos enlisted his help with Welgaia's decommissioning.

David suddenly had a surprise look on his face. "Err…Kratos, now that we completed your mission of destroying all of the remaining Cruxis Crystals…what do we do now?"

Kratos was afraid of this, but he knew it would come eventually. "Well we simply float through space until we find a world where the other half elves can live freely."

David face palmed. "This is going to take awhile isn't it?"

Kratos just slowly nodded. "I'm going to talk to Yuan; you're in charge till I return.

David just then stood up straight and mock saluted. "Yes Sir!" He then walked off to tell everyone.

Kratos just smiled to himself. Even though David was a pain to hang around with, he was still better than being a soulless angel.

* * *

The door slid open and revealed Kratos to the World Tree's communication link to Symphonia. Kratos had this installed so he could be kept up to date with things going on on Symphonia.

He stepped onto the communication circle so a hologram of himself could be transmitted to Yuan via the World Tree's mana. Heh, if Lloyd tried to wrap his head around how this worked, it would probably short-circuit.

After laughing to himself, the hologram form of his old friend Yuan appeared before him.

"Hello Yuan Kafei, how goes the new world?"

Yuan looked slightly miffed. "Kratos I have told you a thousand times, stop saying my last name!"

Kratos just smirked. "Sorry old friend, I just love seeing your expression every time I say it though."

"Whatever, things here are great for now, though I've heard rumors of this radical group forming in Sylvarant. Van-something…I don't know, I'm sure it's nothing but I will look more into it if it starts to present a problem. How goes decommissioning Derris Kharlan?"

"That's why I contacted you. As of today all of Derris Kharlan's exospheres and Cruxis crystals are destroyed."

Yuan was surprised. "Wow, you completed this feat very quickly, even for you."

"Well, I had help. I gave Cruxis' remaining Rune crests to the last of the angels still here. There are no more soulless angels on this comet anymore."

A smirk formed on Yuan's face. "So…what are you going to do now as you and the rest of the angels wait for a new world to inhabit?"

Kratos took a long deep breath and slowly exhaled. "To tell you the truth Yuan…I don't know, but I know I can't stay here for the rest of eternity."

Suddenly a bright light shined right next to the hologram form of Yuan. As the light died down, both angels' mouths fell to the floor.

Martel appeared before Yuan.

She smiled to both of them before she spoke. "It's good to see you Yuan and Kratos. I'm so proud of what both of you have done in restoring this world."

Yuan was still in shock. "I-I'm only fulfilling your wishes for a peaceful world Martel." She smiled again.

"And you have done beautifully Yuan, thank you." She then wrapped her arms around him and started to kiss him."

Kratos, just watching this decided to interrupt them. "Martel, you wanted to say something?"

Martel blushed and removed her face from her husband. "Yes Kratos, I couldn't help but over hear your conversation with Yuan and I might be able to help."

Kratos mood lifted. "Really what do I need to do?"

Martel smiled. "Lately I have been sensing despair and uneasiness somewhere. Then the other day, three beautiful young ladies appeared before me and asked me to deliver them our strongest swordsman."

Kratos' face was stoic but inside he was confused. "Martel, if you need me for this, I will gladly do it. Anything is better than rotting up here."

Martel's snickered and smiled. "Thank you Kratos, I knew I could count on you. Can you leave now?"

Kratos was surprised at her bluntness but nodded. "Yes but give me a few minutes to get my gear."

* * *

Kratos teleported back to his Welgaia apartment he stayed at while still working for Mithos. He was in and out in a flash. He put on his Brunnhilde armor and got out his Arredoval Shield.

He decided to walk back to the communicator room. As he walked back, he thought about what sword he should bring with him. He thought about it the whole way there

* * *

He walked through the door and Yuan and Martel were there waiting for him. They took the time waiting for him to talk and make-out. As they were about to get more physical however Kratos came back.

"Excellent timing Kratos." There was plenty of sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Martel was cheerful though. "Have you got everything?"

Kratos smiled but then frowned. "Almost but I haven't decided on a sword."

Yuan just started to crack up much to Kratos' displeasure. "How did I know this was going to happen…don't worry Kratos we thought ahead and came up with a solution."

Kratos raised his eyebrows. "Really and what might that be?"

Martel spoke up now. "After I transport you to the world you need to go to, you will have your sword. Trust me Kratos, you won't be disappointed."

As she finished speaking, a white light surrounded Kratos and after a few seconds he disappeared out of the room.

**Me: Well there is my first chapter pleasure review. And also when you review select any characters from ToS or Oot as suggestions for my muse for this story**


	2. Welcome to Hyrule Kratos

**Me: well here's chapter 2 hope you like it.**

Chapter 2

Welcome to Hyrule Kratos

Kratos' body flew through a portal like tunnel at the speed of light **(A.N. imagine the StarGate)**. All around him he saw thousands of stars passing by him as if they were moving at the speed of light. However that was not the case because in actuality Kratos himself was moving at the speed of light.

After about a minute and a half, Kratos' body slowed down and with that he could finally see the stars around him clearly. His face was as stoic as ever however, inside he was very afraid. The reason was…he could not recognize any of the star constellations.

He did not have time to be afraid however because as soon as he slowed to a stop, a white light blinded him and he lost consciousness.

* * *

A young boy was sound asleep in his bed inside his tree house. By looking at him, you would see how peaceful he looks and that nothing could disturb him. However, the dream the boy was having, was quite the opposite.

_The young boy in green was standing in the middle of a field next to an enormous castle. The boy was confused, probably thinking: "Where am I? What is this place?"_

_Before another question could be thought up by the child, the drawbridge of the castle came crashing down. Just as the large wooden plank laid horizontal, a white horse carrying two riders sprinted out of the castle-like town the boy was seeing as he looked inside. The rider on the back was an old woman however very in shape for her age. She seemed to control the horse and guided it away from the castle at an alarming pace. The rider on the front of the horse was young girl who, by the look of her cloths was very wealthy. She had a panicked look on her face as she rode by the young boy. _

_The boy in question now was even more confused as the horse rode past him but that confusion faded into fear as dark presence crawled up his spine. He turned around suddenly to find the most frightening entity he has ever seen. A black stallion that was ridden by a very evil man. As the young boy stared at the man in shock, darkness filled his vision._

* * *

Kratos Aurion woke up to find he was lying on a yellow floor which seemed to be made of pure light. As he rose up slowly, he closed his eyes forcefully from the blinding colors of red, blue, and green light. After about a few minutes, he got used to the light and was able to open his eyes completely. Standing before him were three young beautiful women that had red, blue and green hair. Each one had a different look to them but looking at each other's faces you could tell the three of them were sisters.

The one with green hair spoke up first. "Welcome powerful warrior, I trust you know why you were brought here for."

Kratos had a blank look on his face for a second before he spoke up. "I only know that the three of you called for a powerful swordsman. If you can fill me in on what _exactly _I have to do, it would be appreciated."

The one with red hair walked seductively up to him. "Well handsome swordsman, all you have to do is train a young boy in the art of the sword. I trust that isn't too hard."

She walked behind him and wrapped her arms around Kratos. Kratos however paid no mind to the physical contact. The red haired woman then laid her head on his shoulders and spoke up again. "However, if you want more detail I'm afraid we can't tell you that."

Kratos gently removed her arms and looked at her straight in the face. "Why not?" His voice was low but full of force.

Still this did not bother the red-headed sister. She just smiled at him. "Because it would be more fun this way, that's why." She winked at him and walked back toward her sisters.

Kratos not convinced looked at the remaining two. "What's the real reason why I can't know more than just training a young child?"

The blue-headed sister spoke up for the first time. "We just don't what you to call attention to yourself knowing too much for a simple swordsman to know."

Kratos looked away from them and muttered silently. "But I'm not a simple swordsman."

The red-haired sister looked at Kratos. "We know you're not any ordinary swordsman…_old man_."

This caught his attention. "How—did" He was cut off as the green-haired sister put her hand up for him to stop talking.

"We know a lot about you Kratos, but to be fair we will tell you two things about us." The three sisters lined up and the red-headed one spoke up.

"We are the goddesses of this land. We crafted this world to create life and hold order for the world. I am Din." The blue-haired sister stepped forward and spoke up.

"I am Nayru." She stepped back and then the green-haired sister stepped forward.

"And I am Farore. More will be revealed in time but for now step through this portal.

Kratos looked at what she was pointing at. A green portal appeared out of nowhere. However untrusting he was in his nature, Kratos felt safe with these three goddesses.

As he approached the portal he turned back toward the three of them. "What was the other thing you wished to tell me?"

Farore just smiled. "Welcome to Hyrule Kratos Aurion."

Kratos just smiled and walked through the second portal today.

**Me: There's Ch.2. Please review because I want to try to make this story better. Also when you review, give me a suggestion for a muse, it gets pretty lonely in here.**


	3. Guardian from Heaven

**Me: Well I know some people are reading my story however, these people forget to review. So I'm forced to think of a muse at random because no one gave me any suggestions.**

**(Thinks real hard)**

**Martel: What the? Oh hello ShadowV how are you?**

**Me: …Well that works, I guess. I'm fine except for my horrible cold. Can you use healing arts on me?**

**Martel: Oh, well no because I only exist in your head, sorry**

**Me: …right I forgot, well say the disclaimer**

**Martel: ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

**Me: well on to chapter 3**

Ch. 3

Guardian from Heaven

"Navi…"

"Navi, where art thou? Come hither…"

A gigantic tree calls out to one of the many fairies of this sacred forest. The fairy known as Navi flies up to face the Giant Tree.

"Oh, Navi the fairy…. Listen to my words, the words of the Deku Tree….Dost thou sense it? The climate of evil that is descending upon this realm….Malevolent forces even now are mustering to attack our land of Hyrule…."

"For so long, the Kokiri Forest, the source of life, has stood as a barrier, deterring outsiders and maintaining order of the world….But…before this tremendous evil power, even my power is as nothing….It seems that the time has come for the boy without a fairy to begin his journey…."

"The youth whose destiny it is to lead Hyrule to the path of justice and truth….Navi…go now! Find our young friend and guide him to me….I do not have much time left. Fly Navi, fly! The fate of the forest, nay, the world, depends on thee!"

The fairy Navi, understanding what she must do flew off to find the child of destiny. She however did not catch what the Great Deku Tree said next.

"However, alone those two shall fail. Only with a powerful mentor, may the Hero of Time prove victorious."

* * *

Navi flew towards the Kokiri village flying as fast as her little wings could go. Along the way she observed the village she was flying through. As expected for a forest village it was very simple and peaceful; the people living off the forest using large dead tree stumps for houses and relying on only the material the forest proves to sustain them.

The occupants of the village however were only populated by children. She found it strange at first but she remembered the Deku Tree telling her only children lived here for a special reason.

After exploring the whole village she came upon the house she needed to visit in the first place. She flew in to find the boy she was looking for still asleep in his bed.

"Hello, Link! Wake up!"

The boy known as Link was unresponsive and he only continued to sleep.

"The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you! Link get up!"

Link just rolled over and continued to sleep. Now Navi was pissed.

"Hey, Listen, Hey, Hey, Watch Out, Hey, Listen!!!"

Link just shot up from his bed ready to kill whoever woke him up.

"WHAT!?" Link's eyes were bloodshot red from being woken up and from having a terrible nightmare throughout the night.

Navi was just amused by his expression. "Oh good you're up. I'm Navi the Fairy. The Great Deku Tree asked me to be your fairy partner and has requested that you meet him right now."

Link was awestruck. A fairy partner. He always had wanted one so he could fit in with the rest of the Kokiri in the forest.

"I'm glad you're my partner Navi, but did you _have_ to wake me up like that?!"

If Navi had visible eyes she would have rolled them. "Well you wouldn't get up, now come on, the Great Deku Tree is waiting."

Link nodded and got his boots on and walked out of his house (or stump whatever you want to call it).

Link smiled because running towards him was his best friend Saria. She was about the same height as Link, maybe even shorter and she had the greenest hair you have ever seen.

"Heeeey, Link!"

Link jumped from his house to talk to Saria.

"Wow Link, I always told you a fairy would come to you. I'm very happy for you!"

"Yeah, I finally got a fairy and better yet, the Great Deku Tree wants to talk to me!" Link was very excited for talking with the Deku Tree. It was not every day that he could.

"Wow Link it's a great honor to speak with the Great Deku Tree. Well I won't hold you up any longer, get going I know you're excited." Link nodded.

Thanks Saria, I'll talk to you when I get back, see you later."

Link hurried along across the Kokiri village to get to the Great Deku Tree sanctuary. However, the self appointed leader of the village seemed to block his rite of passage.

"Stop Link, you're not allowed past here."

"Mido the Great Deku Tree has summoned me, I need to get past."

"Ha, look Link, you may have a fairy now but that still doesn't convince me I should let you pass. I'll tell you what: if you can get a shield and a sword, _maybe _I'll let you through. Until then, I will block this passage."

Link face-palmed. He had no time for the arrogant antics of Mido. The Great Deku Tree has only called Link in times of emergency. However he can't change Mido's mind so he should play along.

"Fine Mido, I'll be back in a few minutes."

* * *

Walking away, Link called out to Navi. "Hey Navi, do you know where I could find a sword and a shield?"

Navi flew out of his hat and flew around thinking. "Well, Link we could ask Saria. She might know something.

Link smiled. "That's good place to start, let's go see her."

Link ran as fast as he could to where he last saw Saria. Surprise was written all over her face.

"Oh, Link that was quick. What did the Great Deku tree say?"

Link still out of breath from running tried to explain his situation to her.

"Mido…won't…let me through…without…a sword…and a…shield." He then collapsed on the ground tired. Saria however happy she usually was, looked pretty annoyed.

"Goddess Mido, you can be so difficult at times. Don't worry Link; you can have my Deku shield. As for the sword, the Kokiri sword is kept in the back of the village. Just crawl through that tunnel on the hill and continue moving forward, you can't miss it."

Link heard all this agreed. "Okay then, I'll go get the sword while you pick up the shield form your house. Meet me back here."

"Okay Link!"

Link saw the tunnel he was going to go through and he crawled through it. After coming out on the other side, he took the path leading to the left. After only a few steps, Link came across a huge treasure chest.

"This must be it."

Opening it up, Link found the Kokiri sword, a very small sword but perfect for Link's arm length.

Shortly after he returned to the front of his house and met up with Saria. She was holding a small wooden shield with a red insignia on the front of it.

"Here Link, the Deku Shield. I carved it a while ago but I don't know how to use a sword so I never used it." Link smirked.

"Don't worry Saria; I don't know how to use a sword either!" Link just smiled after that and Saria just rolled her eyes.

"That's reassuring, anyway good luck with talking to the Great Deku Tree…again."

"Thanks Saria."

With both sword and shield equipped, Link ran over to see Mido once again.

"Step aside Mido."

"No Link not until you have a sword and a shie— Mido stop talking after that when he saw the sword and shield on Link's back.

Link smiled evilly to Mido. "Well Mido, I'm still waiting for you to move."

Mido just gritted his teeth. "Fine Link, but know this: I will never accept you as one of us. Now get going." Mido stepped aside to let Link through.

As soon as Link was out of earshot, he sighed to himself. "How is he the favorite of Saria anyway?"

* * *

Link walked through the tunnel and Navi flew in front of him. "Man, Mido such a prick."

Link simply smiled. "Yeah he is but what are you going to do, I can't change how he thinks."

"True, anyway let's get going—Watch Out!"

"What, ouch!"

Out of the ground came three plant-like monsters and one of them just nipped at Link.

"Link those are Deku plants, cut off the stem to kill it!"

"Okay sounds simple!"

However, this simple task was too much for Link as he got biten be these plants at least twice before he killed off all of them.

"Link, um, no offense but maybe you should aim better with that sword of yours. And putting up your shield wouldn't hurt either."

Link just glared at Navi before sighing. "Let's just go."

Page break

Link made it to the Great Deku Tree sanctuary and stood right in front of the large tree. Navi then flew out of his hat.

"Great Deku Tree, I'm back!"

Link just stared at the large tree in front of him. Sure he's seen the Great Deku Tree before but not for a while. It was a large tree, about fifty feet tall at least and it had a giant face on the front of it as well.

"Oh…Navi….Thou hast returned….Link welcome….Listen carefully to what I, the Great Deku Tree am about to tell thee….Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares….As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it…."

"Verily, thou hast felt it….Link…the time has come to test thy courage….I have been cursed….I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage."

Link slowly took all this in before he spoke. "But, Great Deku Tree I don't think I can do it. I mean, I'm just one kid."

The Great Deku Tree smiled (if he can) and spoke. "Thou understand your doubts, however you are not alone. Along with Navi, I grant thee the strength to find courage and wisdom, through the Guardian of Heaven!"

Opening his mouth, the Great Deku Tree revealed the silhouette of man. As he stepped out Link just paled.

**Me: well there you go ch.3**

**Martel: It was nice, hope you get better from your cold**

**Me: Yeah me too, please review**


	4. Energtic kid and Stoic Swordsman

**Me: Sorry about the wait, had to do three paper assignments and I have been playing some of the Metal Gear games. I recommend them to anyone. Also got over the swine flu without any medication. I'm just _that_ awesome!**

**Martel: I'm glad you're better. ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ.**

**Me: Here we go!**

Ch. 4

Energetic Kid and Stoic Swordsman

Link was just speechless. First of all, even though he hardly visited the Great Deku Tree he knew for sure that no one has ever just appeared inside the Tree and walked out before. And Secondly, the man that walked out of the Tree was very strange.

For one, his ears were rounded and not pointed like his and the other Kokiri ears. The second thing Link noticed was that he was wearing the strangest of clothes: purple, purple, and more purple. Link also thought the swallow cape was a bit over the top. But then again, what would Link know? All he has ever worn was green. And the last thing that caught Link off guard was that the man's personality appeared to be cool and calm. The fact that part of his red hair covered half of his face just added to his powerful presence.

Kratos looked over the kid he would have to protect and teach swordsmanship to. He was a bit caught off guard as well. For one thing this kid appeared very young to be the hero of time the goddesses of this world described to him. This blonde headed child couldn't be more than ten years old! Kratos could already tell that this journey would _definitely _be a long one.

Over the time the two were looking over each other the Great Deku Tree finally broke the silence. "Chosen one Link…. The Goddesses sent me a vision that you would need help with your journey. So, they guided a traveling mercenary to the forest to aid you on your quest. This man will teach you the art to use a blade."

Link just stared at both the Great Deku Tree and man that came out of him. He did this for a while before both of them were staring at Link, waiting for him to say something.

Link getting the message just raised his hand up slowly and waved at the mercenary.

Kratos raised his eyebrows in reaction to his nervous and odd way of saying hello before he walked over to the boy and turned around ignoring him and waiting for this…Giant Tree to continue talking.

The Great Deku Tree getting Kratos' message began to speak again. "Link and the chosen teacher of the goddesses…. You must cleanse the evil that has cursed me. Anytime you feel overwhelmed…turn over to Navi and your new mentor.

Link slowly took all the information in and spoke up. "I will Great Deku Tree, and thank you for giving me the strength to do this great task."

The Great Deku Tree then spoke toward Kratos. "And you wise swordsman…. Protect the boy at all costs."

Kratos showing no emotion turned toward the Giant Tree. "I will do what you ask and protect this…_Chosen_." Kratos started to realize this was going to be the regeneration journey all over again.

Link, Navi, and Kratos entered the Great Deku Tree and started to look all around the inside of the Deku Tree.

As they were looking around Link finally got the courage to talk to his new teacher. "So…you're going to be my teacher right?"

Kratos just stared at the kid. "I suppose I will be, after all, the goddesses sent me, right?"

Link looked down while they were walking. He felt very shy toward the guy. But still being a little kid, his curiosity won over his shyness. "Um…mister, I was wondering…what's your name?"

Kratos was just looking around the huge room in front of them. "I am Kratos Aurion, just a wandering swordsman." Kratos felt he should keep his _entire_ identity under wraps for the time being.

Link was just in awe over Kratos. "Wow, cool name! Wanna know my name!? Wait, of course you do! My name is Link!" Link was literally jumping all over in front of Kratos and Kratos just inwardly face-palmed. This was going to be a _long _journey.

* * *

"Link block! BLOCK!" Navi was fluttering all over while Link just struggled to defeat one of the Deku plants inside the Great Deku Tree. Meanwhile Kratos just stayed over on the sidelines observing Link's _skills _with a sword. Kratos didn't expect him to be perfect but he assumed that the kid was smart enough to know that if you cut the stem of these monsters off it would die.

After about five minutes Link finally won over the plant monster and sheathed his sword. He turned toward Kratos. "Did you see that?! I only got bitten twice during that fight!" Link threw his fist up and punched the air in victory. Kratos just sighed and reached into his wingpack and gave Link the battle manual he gave to his son at the start of his previous journey.

Link, puzzled by his reaction took the book. "What's this?"

"That is book that will help you learn basic techniques for wielding a sword."

Link opened the book and flipped through page after page just going "Uh huh" and "Hmm."

He closed the book and looked up right at Kratos. "Um…yeah. Kratos…I can't read!"

Kratos just did an anime fall. He got up and collected himself calmly. "You really can't read?"

Link looked straight at him and put on the biggest smile he could muster. Kratos just face-palmed, physically this time.

"All right Link, I guess I'll have to teach you visibly. Get into your battle stance!"

Navi floated nearby Link and he just stared at her. "What is Navi?"

"Oh nothing Link. I'm just going to enjoy watching."

Link just rolled his eyes and unsheathed his sword and brought out his shield. "All right now what?! What do you want me to slash at first?!"

"Stay in your stance Link!" Link gulped and went back to his battle stance. Kratos circled around him while Link's eyes followed him. Kratos made a mental note that Link was left-handed. After Kratos made one full-circle, he lightly pushed Link in the chest and watched him fall over.

"Aah…Kratos what was that for!?" Link got off the ground and stared at Kratos.

"You had a poor stance. You have to keep your feet closer together to achieve perfect balance in order to fight with a sword."

"Yeah Link!" Link just glared at her.

He readjusted his feet. "Like this?"

Kratos looked at his fight. "Good." He unsheathed his blade with his eyes closed. He wondered what sword Martel gave him before he left. Kratos opened his eyes and saw his pride and joy: Flamberge. Link was also staring as well.

"That's a fancy sword Kratos. Where did you get it?"

"I made it Link. Once you become an accomplished swordsman, I'll show you how to make your own sword."

Link was in awe. "Wow, I can't wait to have my own fancy sword someday!"

Kratos smirked. "All right Link forget about my sword. I want you to come right at me and try to strike me with your blade."

The color drained from Link's face. Mainly because he was scared of what might happen. "Really, but what if I hurt you?"

"Do not worry Link." Kratos did not expect the boy to be able to hit him. But just in case, he brought out his shield. "If you do manage to hit me, I'll be able to block with my shield."

"Um, okay then. Here I come!"

* * *

Link was on the ground completely out of breath. Kratos sheathed Flamberge. "You have a lot of potential. If you practice with me every day, you will learn how to use a sword."

Still completely out of breath, Link struggled to get up. "C-cool…Kratos. Maybe…we should…continue…on…down…here."

Navi flew up to his face. "Yeah, then maybe you would survive for more than five minutes!" Link tried to smack her but to no avail.

Kratos helped Link up and as they traveled through the tree, he already saw improvements in the boy's skill. After about ten minutes Link found a slingshot and began having fun shooting his enemies with it.

"Link, do not neglect your sword. You could use your slingshot but try to incorporate battle strategy with your blade. For instance, use the slingshot to stun your foes, and then come in with your sword."

"Hmm, that sounds smart. Let's try that." Link spotted a Deku plant and brought out his slingshot and shot one seed at it, missing it.

Navi came out to face Link. "Remember Link, _aim _first!"

Link glared at her. "Why thank you Navi, I'll keep that in mind."

After about three more tries, Link finally hit the plant. "Cool! Look Kratos, I did it!"

"Link remember, an enemy is only stunned for so long! Bring out your sword and slice the stem in half."

Link's eyes widened. "R-right Kratos." Link brought out his Kokiri sword and cut the plant in half.

Kratos smiled. "Good Link, keep it up."

* * *

After about five or six rooms, the three of them were just in front of the hallway that led to the bottom most chamber.

"I feel the presence of evil in that room. Link are you prepared to face what is in there?" Link did a simple nod. "Good. I'll leave whatever lurks in there to you. If you feel you're in trouble, I will intervene in the fight. Let's go."

Link smiled. "Right, let's do this!" He punched the air above him and just ran into the room.

Kratos just sighed. This will not end well.

**Me: There you have it, chapter 4**

**Martel: Please Review**


	5. Giant spiders and Prophecies

**Me: Here comes Chapter 5 **

**Martel: Shouldn't you be working on Algebra homework?**

**Me: …maybe, but shouldn't you be guarding the World Tree?**

**Martel: …I give up. ShadowV doesn't own LoZ or ToS.**

**Me: Useless trivia time! Martel's voice actor did work on Metal Gear Solid 1 and 4 as Mei Ling. A bunch of other voice actors from ToS worked on Metal Gear Solid series. **

Chapter 5

Giant Spiders and Prophecies

Link ran into the lowest most chamber of the Great Deku Tree along with Navi. Kratos just walked in behind Link eyes open for whatever he felt in this room. The room itself was very dark and the ground was covered in a very heavy fog. If it weren't for Navi, Link wouldn't be able to see in this chamber. Kratos on the other hand could see a little better, thanks to his enhanced sight. He walked up to stand beside Link.

"Link! Keep your guard up. Search everywhere you can in this room; look for the monster that the Great Deku Tree said that cursed him." Link nodded.

Along with Navi, Link stopped running around the room and looked for the source of the evil Kratos sensed. Kratos did the same. Kratos knew something was off because he could hear something breathing. Something BIG.

After about five minutes, and looking around the room at least three times, Link walked over to the middle of the room to speak with Kratos. "Kratos! I don't think anything is here, but I can't shake the feeling that something is watching us."

Navi flew out of Link's hat and in front of his face. "I feel it too, Link. I don't know where else to look. It's just—" As Navi was talking, a giant drop of green, glompy saliva fell on top of her from the ceiling of the room. It completely covered Navi!

"Oh Goddesses! This. Is. So. Disgusting!" Kratos looked up and saw where the glop came from. If he was afraid, he didn't show it.

"Link, I believe we've found our monster." He rolled his eyes up so Link could see what he was referring to.

When he saw what Kratos was looking at, he covered his mouth so he wouldn't scream. On the ceiling of the cave, there was the largest spider Link has ever seen. It was easily five times as big as Link himself and it had a very large eye. Its mouth was dripping with the fluid that soaked Navi a moment ago.

Seeing as it had been spotted, the spider detached itself from the ceiling and fell to the ground shaking it. It let out a deafening roar. Link turned to Kratos.

"Kratos! What do I do?! I can't fight this…thing!" Link was starting to panick so Kratos stepped in.

"Focus Link and calm down. This is no different than fighting the Deku plants and Deku salesmen we have been seeing throughout the Tree."

"B-but it's just…so…big." Link was literally trembling in front of the enormous spider.

"Calm down and think Link. I'll go and fly around the spider to find the weak point." Navi flew off toward the giant spider circling around it before returning to Link.

"Link! The name of the spider is Queen Gohma. She has a very large eye. You should take out your new slingshot and use it to stun her. Once she's stunned and can't move, take your sword out and slash her eyes." Kratos put his hand on Link's shoulder.

"Link, you can do this. Just listen to what Navi said and go into battle. If you are about to be killed, I will intervene." Link looked at Kratos, and smiled.

"Thanks Kratos for the support." Navi flew into his face. "AAAANNNNDDDD!"

Link rolled his eyes. "I was about to thank you too Navi, thank you for the tips." Link took out his slingshot and went to challenge Queen Gohma.

Link slowly circled around the spider waiting for Gohma to put down her front four arms so he would have a shot at her eye. Gohma, unaware of Link's strategy, went for an all out frontal assault on Link dropping her guard. Link took the open opportunity and hit the middle of her eye.

The hit stunned Gohma so much that her hind four legs collapsed and she fell backwards, unable to move. The shot from Link's slingshot made her temporary blind as well. Navi flew toward her wide open eye.

"That's it Link! She's vulnerable now, use your sword and slash at the eye!" Link smiled and unsheathed the Kokiri sword.

Remembering of what Kratos said about keeping balance while using a sword, he set up his stance and begun a simple sword combo. After two or three slashes from Link, Gohma recovered and begun to crawl up the wall of the room. She then climbed up so she was on the ceiling again and begun to launch eggs at the floor.

Link begun to panic. The eggs quickly hatched and he was now facing four spiders now. "Kratos! I can't fight a four on one fight! I need your help." Kratos nodded in understanding. Link was still a novice in the way of the sword and in battle. He couldn't possibly face all of these creatures by himself.

"Link, you keep on fighting Gohma! I'll deal with the other three." Link nodded.

"Thanks Kratos."

Kratos ran over to the three baby spiders and in three quick slices, the three crumbled away. Meanwhile Link and Navi were trying to find a way to attack Gohma while she was on the ceiling. Navi lit up like a light bulb over Link's head.

"Link, I have an idea! Try to shoot a seed at Gohma's eye from here. The pain from the shot should make her lose her footing up there."

"Okay Navi, here I go!" Link set up a shot a launched a seed. However the stress with the battle along with just acquiring his slingshot caused him to missed and hit one of her legs.

"Link, remember what Kratos said; focus. Release the seed when you know you have a shot."

"I-I'll try." He readied another seed. Link closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He slowly opened them and just stared at the spider. He watched it move to another spot of the ceiling and adjusted his aim. The spider stopped and Link smirked.

"Gotcha!" The seed flew out of the slingshot and hit her in the middle of her eye causing her to fall and hit the ground with a huge amount of force.

"Now Link, go for the eye!"

Link ran up and made slice after slice at her eye until Gohma jerked upward and begun to tremble in pain. She slowly disintegrated and left behind what looked like a heart shaped container.

Link stared at the container for a few seconds before Kratos made his way over. Link looked up toward the mercenary. "Kratos, what do you think this is?"

"Hmm, well it looks like a…heart…container." Link stared at Kratos before returning his gaze toward the heart container.

"Is it…safe to touch? I mean, it did come from that giant spider." Navi flew toward Link.

"I checked it out Link. Don't worry it won't hurt you. On the contrary, it will increase your strength and stamina." Link's face lit up.

"Wow really, that's so cool." Link picked up the heart container and watched it dissolve into his hands.

"Huh, what happened?" Then Link felt all of his scraps and cuts heal up and felt new life wash over him.

"Whoa…that…felt…good." Kratos smirked. The boy was full of life. He seemed just like Mithos when he was still a kid.

A circular blue light appeared right behind the three and it caught their attention. Navi flew to the portal. "Hey, guess what guys, this thing can take us straight out of the Tree!"

Kratos' eyebrows went up. 'Hmm, that's convenient. We should have used theses back during the regeneration journey.'

Link walked toward the portal. "Wow, this is so cool. It beats going back the way we came, right Kratos." That jolted Kratos out of his thoughts.

"Huh, ah yes, it is convenient. Let's go." The three of them walked through the light and they stood in the middle of the circle. It glowed bright white and they disappeared from the chamber.

* * *

Link, Navi, and Kratos then reappeared in front of the Great Deku Tree. "Well done Link."

The three of them turned around to face the large tree again. "Thou hast verily demonstrated thy courage…. I knew you could do it…."

"Now, I have yet more to tell ye, will you listen?" Link smiled.

"Of course Great Deku Tree."

"Thank you, and Kratos, you should listen as well…." Kratos stared at the talking tree.

"Alright, proceed."

"Yes, yes. Now…listen…carefully. A wicked man of the desert cast this horrible curse on me…. This evil man ceaselessly uses his vile sorcerous powers in his search for the Sacred Realm which exists somewhere in Hyrule…. For in that Sacred Realm, one will find the **Triforce**, which contains the essence of the gods…."

"_Before time began, before spirits and life existed…. Three goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule…._

_Din, the goddess of power…_

_Nayru, the goddess of wisdom…_

_Farore, the goddess of courage…_

_Din…, with her strong flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red earth._

_Nayru…, poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world._

_Farore…, with her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold that law._

_When their task was done, the three goddesses departed for the heavens and golden sacred triangles remained at the point where the goddesses left the world. Since then, the sacred triangles have become the basis for our world's province. And the resting place of the triangles has become the Sacred Realm."_

"Thou must never allow the desert man in black armor to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce…. That evil man who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my power. Because of that curse, my end is nigh…."

Link's eyes widened. "What!?"

"Though your valiant efforts to break the curse were successful, I was doomed before you started…. Yes, I will pass away soon, but do not grieve for me…. I have been able to tell you of these important matters…. You are Hyrule's final hope…."

The weight of Link's destiny finally hit him hard. "I-I'm Hyrule's last hope."

"Link, go to Hyrule castle. There, thou will surely meet the Princess of Destiny…. Take this stone. The stone the man wanted so much that he cast this curse on me…."

A bright green light blinded both Link and Kratos for a bit. Out of the light came a green emerald like stone with gold wrapping all around it.

Link felt the stone slowly fall into his hands. He turned toward the Great Deku Tree again.

"The future depends on thee, Link. And Kratos, I'm counting on you to train him. Make him into the hero that will save Hyrule."

Kratos nodded. "Alright, I will."

"And Navi, take…good…care…of…Link…. Go…od…bye…."

The Great Deku Tree then lost all of its luster as its brown bark rotted away leaving only dead gray bark. The Great Deku Tree was dead. Link took one long look at the Great Deku Tree. He felt a tear escape from his eye. He closed his eyes and sucked up the rest of his tears. 'I can't afford to cry now. I'm Hyrule's only hope.' Navi flew up to his face.

"Link…are you alright?"

Link looked up to face her. "Y-yeah, I'll be fine. Come on, we have to get to this castle." He walked slowly out of the meadow.

Navi's wings drooped. "Oh, okay then. Let's go." She flew up to catch up to Link.

Kratos was just staring at the remains of the Great Deku Tree. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and took his leave to catch up with the others.

**Me: Wow, that was a sad ending.**

**Martel: Reminds me of the time the Giant Tree died.**

**Me: I'm so sorry Martel, review?**


	6. Saria's Goodbye Trekking across Hyrule

**Me: Back with chapter 6**

**Martel: I hope you won't end it like that again, ShadowV doesn't own ToS/LoZ**

**Me: Sorry but it was a good place to end it. More Metal Gear/ToS trivia! Cam Clarke who is Kratos Aurion plays Liquid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2. Liquid Snake was the lead villain and a clone of Solid Snake. **

Chapter 6

Saria's Goodbye and trekking across Hyrule Field

The three of them walked in silence back to Kokiri village. Kratos felt a familiar feeling of loss when the Great Deku Tree died. It was like watching the Giant Kharlan Tree withering all of again.

Navi wasn't feeling any better than Kratos. All of their actions for vain. 'The Great Deku Tree knew he would die but he sent Link in anyway?! I guess this was a test to see if Link really could save Hyrule.' Even though she saw through the Great Deku Tree's intentions of having Link going in and killing the spider, she still felt enormous loss.

But the one how felt the worst was Link. The Great Deku Tree was the closest thing he had to a father and now he was gone forever. Besides Saria, the other Kokiri would treat Link like an outcast and not associate with him. Mido was the worst of them all. If it wasn't for Saria and the Great Deku Tree, Link would have died of loneliness a long time ago.

Link looked up to Kratos. He wiped the tears that had formed around his eyes when the Great Deku Tree died and smiled. 'The Great Deku Tree may be gone, but at least I have a _new_ father to take care of me.'

* * *

The three of them continued to walk out of the Great Deku Tree's meadow and back into the Kokiri village. They continued on until they bumped into someone.

"Link! What did you do! The Great Deku Tree, did he…die?"

Link looked down. He wiped the tears that were forming in his eyes. "…Yes Mido, the Great Deku Tree…he's gone."

Shock overtook Mido's face. He took a step back and the shock on his face quickly turned into anger.

"Link…how could you do a thing like that?! It's all your fault!" Mido ran away back to his house. Link fell to his knees and all the sadness of the death of the Great Deku Tree came out of him.

"M-mido's right! It is my fault!" Link started to break down and cry. "I-if only I had co-come to him so-oner." Link cried and cried until he felt arms circling around him in a hug.

Kratos watched the whole thing. He chose not to say anything. He knew the Great Deku Tree was dying before they got to him and Kratos had accepted that. However, he didn't realize Link did not.

Link was only a ten year old boy, and he probably looked up to the tree as a father to him. Kratos did only thing he could do to comfort Link. He pulled the boy into his embrace.

"Link, the Giant Tree's death was not your fault. Remember the Tree's words: The evil man, who put the death curse upon me. It was that man's fault the Giant Tree died."

Navi flew down to Link. "Kratos is right Link. Mido was just taking out the death of the Great Deku Tree out on you. Remember how much of a prick Mido is."

Link smiled. "Thank you, both of you. But it's not just the Great Deku Tree's death that made me cry, it's the job I have to do. What if I can't do it?" Kratos closed his eyes.

"You have no need to worry Link. I have faith in you. However, if the journey does become too hard for you to handle, I am always here to help you." Link wiped his tear stained face and smiled.

"Thank you Kratos…for being my friend. You're the third friend I have, next to Saria and Navi." Navi tingled.

"Thanks Link. Now, are ready to go to Hyrule Castle?" Link stood up.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Link and Navi flew out into the village. Kratos smiled to himself. He never got the chance to raise Lloyd at all until he was seventeen. By then, the only thing he taught Lloyd was how to correctly use a sword (or two swords in his opinion). Now he would be traveling with a ten year old kid, who would need love and support for him to be able to complete his destiny.

"Kratos! Are you coming?!" Link yelled at the top of his lungs. He had ran way ahead of the angel, wanting to start this journey of his to save this world. Kratos walked up to Link and Navi.

"I apologize Link. I was merely deep in thought." Link tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Hmm, just the beginning of this journey, it's not important."

"Oh, okay then. Let's go already slowpoke!" Link and Navi then ran across the village and to the exit of the forest. Kratos followed slowly behind them.

* * *

The three of them were crossing the bridge that allowed entry into the Kokiri village when someon called out to them.

"Oh, you're leaving." Link turned back toward the source of the voice. Saria was standing right there, at the edge of the entrance to the Kokiri village.

Kratos saw the young girl. She couldn't be much older than ten and wore the same outfit as Link and all the other children he saw around the village. The thing the puzzled him was…he didn't see any adults in the village.

But the thing that caught Kratos off guard the most about this young girl was her hair. Slightly greener than Martel's hair but the girl reminded him of Martel.

Link stared at Saria for couple of seconds before deciding to slowly walk over to her. Saria looked at Link, she looked very upset that he was leaving and she was about to cry.

"I knew…that you would leave the forest someday, Link…because you are different from me and my friends…." Link looked at her questionly, but shrugged.

Saria looked down and closed her eyes. She held onto an object in her hands and held it to her heart. "But that's okay, because we'll be friends forever…won't we?" She offered up what she was holding to Link.

"Link, I want you to have this Ocarina…please take good care of it." Link looked straight at Saria.

"Do you really want me to have this Saria?" She nodded. "I-I don't know what to say…."

Kratos cut in. "Perhaps you should say 'thank you' Link. After all, I assume this ocarina is very important to…Saria, was it?" Saria nodded at Kratos looking at him questionly. She then looked over at Link.

"Um, Link…who is that guy?" Link's eyes widened in shock. He had forgotten Kratos was right there.

"Oh, I'm sorry Saria. This is Kratos Aurion. Before the Great Deku Tree…died, he brought him to the forest to accompany me on my journey. He's teaching me how to fight with a sword!" Link looked up at Kratos.

Saria nodded in understanding. "Well then, it is a please to meet you Kratos."

"Likewise." He bowed before her. Then confusion struck her.

"Um, I'm not trying to be rude or anything but why do you have _two _names?"

Kratos raised his eyebrows. "You mean you don't?" Saria shook her head. Kratos sighed. He had to think of an excuse, something quick.

Link cut in. "Um, maybe it's because he is a traveling swordsman. He goes everywhere; he might bump into another Kratos. Maybe it's a way of telling each other apart. Am I right Kratos?" Kratos raised his eyebrows again. 'Hmm, this kid is good.'

"More or less Link. Now I'd get on finishing your good-byes. I'd like to get as much traveling in today before the sun sets. I'll be waiting for you outside the forest." Kratos walked outside to give the two of them their privacy.

"Okay Kratos! I won't be long." Link turned back to Saria.

"Well, what do think of him?"

"He's…quiet. Doesn't talk much does he?" Link shook his head.

"Nope, but when he does, he helps me as best he could."

Saria smiled. "I'm sure he'll help you as much as he can on this journey of yours."

Link smiled and looked down at the ocarina Saria gave him. This ocarina was very special to her. He would treasure it always.

"Hey Link, when you play my ocarina, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit."

"Don't worry Saria, I will always think of you when I play this ocarina. I'll always come back to the forest to visit whenever I can. You have my word."

Link walked up to her and hugged Saria for as long as he could. However he knew he had to keep going so he broke it off.

Saria was the same. She didn't want to see Link leave at all. But she knew it was futile.

"Saria…" Link struggled for the right words. "Um…see you later."

"…See you later too Link." Link smiled smiled before he turned around and ran out of the forest.

Saria just stood there staring at the exit of the forest. Before she left, she let one tear run down and fall off her face.

* * *

Link and Kratos had been walking for hours. Trekking across Hyrule Field was harder than Link thought. After seeing the sun had only about a half an hour of light left, Kratos said they could stop for the night.

"Thank the Goddesses!" He then fell down to the ground, exhausted. Kratos chuckled inwardly. 'He's so much like Lloyd.'

A few minutes later, Link shot up from the ground suddenly. He looked straight at Kratos. "Um Kratos, did you…pack food with you before we lefted?"

Kratos' eyes widened. He forgot that Link needs food and water to function. Being a 4,000 year old angel, he tends to forget these sort of things.

"…I'm sorry Link, I'm afraid I do not have any food on me."

"What?!" Link falls right back on the ground, defeated.

"We'll get food as soon as we make it to Hyrule castle."

Link's eyes widened. "But…I haven't eaten since breakfast. I'm so hungry…"

Kratos closed his eyes. He hated not being able to feed someone. Being just a child makes it even worse.

"Man, this day has been long. Waking up to an annoying fairy—" Navi flew out of his hat.

"Hey, I resent that Link!" Link rolled his eyes and ignored her.

"Getting a sword and a shield, beating a giant spider, walking across this gigantic field, and to top it all off we don't even have any food! Things can't possibly get worse!"

Just then, a wolf's howl echoed across the field. Link's head shot up while his body remained on the ground.

"What was that?!" A second later, something punched its way out of the ground. It was a bony had with bits of skin left on it. And it just so happened to be next to Link.

"Aaahhh! Kratos! What is that thing!?!" Link quickly got away from the area the hand came out of the ground.

Just then, about twenty more hands came out of the ground, followed by heads of skeletons. These skeletons forced their way out of the ground and made their way toward Link.

"Kratos! Make them go away!" In no time at all Kratos made his approach toward them. However, a strange event occurred: the tiny skeletons retreated back into the ground when Kratos approached them. Link was amazed.

"Wow, I knew you were a good swordsman but that just takes talent!"

"Link, I didn't do anything. It seemed to me, that they were…running away from me?"

"Well that's just because you're the best swordsman who ever li—What!? Kratos!"

Kratos turned his head to see Link. The skeleton creatures were again trying to get to him. Navi came out of Link's hat.

"Link! Those are Stalchildren! They are an undead type monster. They only target kids!"

"What!?! That's not fair! I'll show them!" Link took out his sword and begun slashing at the stalchildren. However, with every one Link defeated, two more took its place.

Kratos noticed this and made his way to Link. "Link! You can't win! We have to run!"

"Kratos, I can do this. I can—" He stopped dead when Link saw an endless sea of stalchildren starting to emerge from the ground.

Slowly, Link turned to Kratos. "Um…maybe, just maybe, you're right. But I'm too exhausted to run."

Kratos sighed. "Here, climb on my back." As Link got on Kratos' back, he took off in a run.

Link was amazed. He has never seen someone run so fast. They would reach the castle in no time now.

**Me: there it is**

**Martel: emotional filled chapter, huh.**

**Me: well I tried. Reviewers, tell me how I can improve on the emotion of the story when u review.**


	7. A new Friend

**Me: This affected Alaia Skyhawk once.**

**Martel: What?**

**Me: I have…THE WRITER BUG**

**Writing Bug: WRITE!!!**

**Martel: O-kay. (backs away slowly) ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

**Me: Right. More Metal Gear voice actor trivia. Scott Menville, how played Lloyd in the 1****st**** Tales of Symphonia, who had probably the most voice parts…plays the voice of enemy soldiers. O.o And only in the remake of Metal Gear Solid 1. Maybe Metal Gear Solid 2 too, not sure.**

Chapter 7

A new friend

Kratos carried Link as fast as he could. He had to keep him safe from the horrors of those zombie children.

As Kratos raced across Hyrule field, he noticed that Link fell asleep still clinging to his back. Kratos smiled to himself. 'Well, at least he got to sleep tonight. After the ordeal with the stalchildren, he doubted that the boy would ever sleep tonight.'

After about an hour of more running, Kratos noticed that the sun started to rise in the eastern sky. He then saw the castle of Hyrule in the distance. From what Kratos could see, the castle was very large, maybe even rivaling Mithos' castle on Derris Kharlan.

Since Hyrule castle was coming into view and the sun was rising, Kratos decided he should stop running. Even though he was a lifeless angel he still needed rest. Not sleep, rest. Being an angel had its advantages: enhanced speed and strength, being able to absorb mana instead of eating, drinking, and even breathing, and of course…eternal life.

Kratos slowed down his pace gradually. He did not want to scare Link awake by coming to a complete stop. When Kratos did come to a complete stop, he gently laid Link on the dew covered grass. After Link was set on the ground Kratos collapsed where he stood. 'I didn't realize how much I wore my angelic form out. I guess the angelic ability of not being able to feel is a blessing and a curse sometimes.' Kratos got himself comfortable and let his body relax

* * *

Link woke up wondering where he was. He looked around and saw Kratos lying on the ground near him. He suddenly remembered the night before. Visions of the stalchildren attacking Link and then…. Link closed his eyes. 'Kratos…saved me.'

He opened his eyes and smiled. "Hey Navi, wake up." A fluttering blue light came out of Link's hat. Navi flew out very slowly and lazily. She must have been very droggy.

She yawned heavily and flew up to Link. "Good morning Link. How'd you—" Navi froze for a second, staring at the gates of Hyrule Castle.

"Link!" Link's eyes widened.

"Shh Navi, Kratos is still sleeping from carrying us all night!" Link's voice was very commanding but it was no louder than any whisper.

"Wait. Kratos…carried us, _all _night to the entrance of Hyrule Castle?!"

Link rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Kratos' 'sleeping' form. "I…guess he did."

Navi drooped and lost some of her luster. "The poor guy must be exhausted. Both of you didn't eat _anything _last night and he found the strength to run all throughout the night to protect you from the stalchildren."

Link nodded at Navi and returned his eyes to Kratos. "Yeah…he's a true friend."

After waiting about an hour so Kratos could catch up on some 'sleep' Link and Navi decided to wake him up. They didn't want his body to adjust to an irregular sleeping schedule.

Link walked up to the 'sleeping' form of Kratos and bent down so he was on his knees.

"Psst! Kratos! Wake up, it's almost noon." Kratos eyes shot open, catching Link off guard.

"Whoa, how long have you been up?!" Kratos slowly got to his feet.

"Link, I'm…sorry that I startled you. I tend to be a light sleeper." Link tilted his head to the side.

"Why is that Kratos?" Kratos faked a yawn to appear that he had slept a little.

"Being a warrior, you must prepare for the unexpected. If you don't, then you're as good as dead." Link paled.

"What!?" He saw Link's expression and sighed.

"Don't worry Link, that's one of the things I will be teaching you in time, so don't dwell on it." Link smiled.

"Okay then. Now that you're up, let's continue on toward the castle drawbridge." Kratos smirked.

"Alright then."

After about twenty five or thirty minutes of walking, all three of them got to the outer walls of Hyrule Castle Town. They walked over the drawbridge, soldiers welcoming the two _visible _members of the group to Hyrule Castle Town. Both of them observed the large town (large in Link's case).

The largest part of Hyrule Castle Town was the market place. Hundreds of people were walking about going from stall to stall to buy their necessities while others went to the larger buildings. The larger buildings in question sold several different items ranging from weapons and equipment to potions and other healing items.

Link continued to look around while until he couldn't take it anymore.

"Kratos! Can I explore the town and market! Please!" Kratos was amused by his expression.

He knew it was reckless and irresponsible but he needed to find an Inn. He looked at Link and smirked.

"Alright. Just keep out of trouble." Link's face brightened.

"Thanks Kratos." He quickly ran out of sight.

Kratos just sighed. 'This is not going to be good later.'

* * *

Link continued to run around the market place when he heard his stomach rumbling. 'Ugh, that's right. I haven't eaten since yesterday morning.'

Just then the smell of a foreign aroma filled Link's nose. Link didn't recognize the smell, but it smelled pretty good. Link followed the scent till he found the source of it. Link was nearly drooling at the sight of it.

"FOOD!!!" Link ran to a stall selling loaves of bread. The man who was selling them was trying his best to get people to buy some of his bread.

However Link wasted no time at the sight of the bread and began to devour loaves and loaves of it. Upon starting his third loaf the man who was selling the bread, looked down at Link in a very dark way.

"Hey boy, you're going to pay us money right?" At this now, a couple of his friends started to surround Link and Link just looked innocently at the men staring at him.

"Money? What's that?" Being raised in the Kokiri forest, Link didn't need to know about money because the Kokiri worked together to gather supplies and food. Things they couldn't do, the Great Deku Tree did for them. So naturally, Link did not have the faintest clue about money or economics.

But these men didn't care. Link had unintentionally _robbed _them. "This kid doesn't care!" "He's a thief!" The men began yelling and started to attract a crowd around them.

A young girl, about the same age as Link was just walking by when she heard the shouting. Being curious, she decided to walk toward the forming crowd. When she got through the crowd, she brought her hands up to her mouth in horror.

The men who were yelling at Link, pushed him up against the searching his pack for anything valuable to compensate for their loss of profits. Finally, one of them found the Kokiri Emerald the Great Deku Tree gave to Link and took it away from him.

"Well, you do have something of value, don't you?" He smiled wickedly at the large green stone he was holding. Link's eyes widened in panic.

"Hey! Give it back! Give it back!" The man just started laughing.

"If you want it back, give us the money you own, boy!" It was then that the young girl couldn't take it anymore.

"HOLD IT!" The four people who owned the stall looked at this new person. She courageously walked up to the men.

"I will pay you, so give him back the stone." Out of one of the pockets of her dress, she pulled out a silver rupee. This in turn, shocked everyone in sight.

"200 rupees?!" The men graciously threw the stone back to Link and the girl pulled on his arm for him to run.

"Wait! Um…who are you?!" Link's face was flushed as she and him started to run.

"It doesn't matter, come on!"

Both of them ran and ran till they got to the water fountain in the middle of the market place. They both came to a stop to catch their breaths. Link walked right over to the fountain and splashed his face with the water to cool himself off. As the girl's breathing stabilized, she noticed the odd cloths that Link was wearing. She suddenly remembered which race wore cloths like this.

"I see…so you're from the forest, huh?" As Link wiped the last of the water from his now cooled down face, he turned and smiled at her.

"Yep! I'm from the forest." Link pulled out the Kokiri Emerald that the girl helped save. "Thank you…this is a very important treasure!"

The girl looked at the emerald and smiled. "It's a lovely stone." Link handed it to her. She took it rather hesitantly.

"It's more than just a stone. It's the Kokiri Emerald! The Great Deku Tree told me to give it to Princess Zelda!" The girl's eyes flickered for a mere second before a dawning realization came to her.

"Hmm…" She continued to look at the boy with curiosity and wonder.

Link got off the ledge of the fountain that he was sitting on. "That's why I have to go to the castle! I'll see you later!" The girl giggled.

"You can't just go into the castle by yourself! It's very well guarded." Link's head drooped.

"Oh…" But his head shot up. "But I'm not going to go in by myself. A friend of mine is coming with me!"

The girl tilted her head to the side. "Oh someone else is traveling with you."

"Yeah, he went to look for an Inn so we could rent rooms for the night. I wonder if he's found one yet?"

* * *

"GET OUT OF HERE!! IF YOU CAN'T PAY, THEN YOU GET NO ROOM!!!" The door slammed in Kratos' face.

Kratos sighed. He forgot he was in a different world. That meant they used a different form of currency than gald. Apparently they used rupees as currency here. He hoped Link didn't face a problem like this. Otherwise, he'd be in trouble.

* * *

Link just sit back down on the fountain. "Man, what should we do Navi?" The girl who saved Link before tilted her head and was deep in thought. Suddenly she got excited and a bright smile emerged from her face.

"Hey, I know! Why don't you play with me all day? We could explore all around town and look for your friend at the same time. If you do, I'll take you to Princess Zelda myself!" Link's eyes widened.

"You mean it?!" The girl winked and smiled.

"She and I are best friends. Here's my proof." The girl brought out a bluish purple ocarina. Link was very interested in it.

"Ah, an ocarina? Oh, this mark!" Link recognized the little Triforce symbol on the instrument. The girl watched him admire the instrument until something caught her eye.

"Uh oh!"

**Me: I'd think I'll stop it there.**

**Martel: What's going to happened?**

**Me: (shrugs shoulders)**

**Martel: Why do I even bother to ask**

**Me: Review?**


	8. Perfect Day

**Me: I'm back**

**Martel: Where were you?**

**Me: Doing exams, anyway more Metal Gear Trivia. Jennifer Hale who was Sheena's voice actress played numerous roles in the Metal Gear Solid games. She played Naomi Hunter in 1 and 4, and Emma Emmerich in 2. **

**Martel: Why do you keep posting these facts?**

**Me: I don't know. Why don't I keep posting these facts?**

**Martel: …ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

Chapter 8

Perfect Day

"What?" The girl ran away behind the back side of the city fountain. Link, confused turned around to see why the girl ran away to hide. Link turned around and saw a very tall woman with red eyes and grayish white hair. She wore black and blue cloths and breastplate armor over her front. She seemed somewhat old but the way she looked and stood facing Link, he could tell that she was in very good shape for her age.

Her red eyes glared into Link reminding him a little of how Kratos once stared a Deku shrub into submission once. However Link just stared back into her eyes.

"You there, little boy. Have you seen a noble girl running around? She has blond hair and blue eyes." Navi who was listening inside Link's hat whispered something into his ear.

"Link! Don't tell her about the girl. I don't trust her." Link gave a soft nod, telling her he agreed. Link looked right back to the woman before him.

"Um, no ma'am. I haven't seen anyone like that."

Behind the fountain, hiding, the girl's eyes twinkled and she whispered very softly. "Thank you."

The woman's eye's narrowed at the boy's answer, but she walked away to look elsewhere. As soon as she was out of earshot, Link gave a sigh of relief and took a sit on the fountain edge.

But before he got the chance, he felt his hand being pulled and Link felt his feet struggling to keep up with the girl.

"Come on! There's some interesting-looking shops around here." She let go of his arm suddenly and Link nearly fell over. Navi, scared and worried, flew out of Link's hat.

"Um, Link, are you sure about this? This girl seems to be a tad…strange." The look on Link's face told her that he kind of agreed.

"Well…she may be a bit…odd, but I own her for getting me out of trouble back at the bread cart." Link glanced to where the girl was to find that she was getting some food from a different cart. A blush crept to Link's face and he stared at her.

"Plus Navi, she's…kind of cute." Link rubbed the back of his neck while Navi rolled her eyes.

As Link was up in the clouds with the girl who just saved him a moment ago, Navi suddenly started giggling uncontrollably. Link looked to her, annoyed.

"What?!"

"Hey look at these!" Link turned around to see the girl behind him and nearly fell over from shock. She was carrying a bag rice cakes that was almost as big as she was. Her face was lit up.

"I bought _this _much." Link just looked at her. Without even acknowledging him she handed Link the giant bag while her face lit up even more.

"I got all these Goron rice cakes because the cart owner said, "aren't you just a cute little girl!" She blushed at the words she said but Link just eyed her like she was crazy. 'Yep, she's odd alright.' Link sighed, but a smile crept over his face. 'She is a "cute girl" though.'

* * *

Kratos was walking through out the castle town. Link had been gone for a while and without any 'rupees' with him, Kratos just decided that until he can find some, he'd find Link and they'd camp outside in the field for now.

As he was walking through the market he noticed a large man was approaching one of the venders rather hastily. The man grasped the merchant. He smiled wickedly.

"Give me all your rupees now or I slit your throat!" He pulled at his knife and put it against the merchant's neck. The merchant was mumbling incoherently.

Kratos watched the crowd. Some of the people just watched the scene that was unfurling in front of them. Others much to Kratos' distaste just kept on walking like nothing was happening. He put his hand to his sword and waited for the opportunity. The merchant was on the verge of crapping himself. The large man, getting impatient, pressed the blade closer to his throat drawing a little blood. The merchant's eyes widened.

"A-alright! Alright! Here, take it. It's all I have on me." The merchant reached into his pockets and dumped out about three green rupees, two blue rupees, and one yellow one. The man gave off another wicked smile and pocketed them, but didn't remove his knife.

"Sorry, but I wanted at least thirty today. I'm, afraid it's just not your lucky day." Before he moved in to jab the knife into the merchant's neck, he felt a sharp pain in his arm.

He looked at his arm and to his surprise and horror…it was no longer there but on the ground with the knife still in a firm grasp.

"Do not prey off the innocent." Kratos spoke in calm, commanding tone. The man looked at the man who sliced off his arm with his flame like sword and his face contorted in rage. With his good arm, he pulled out another knife and pointed it toward Kratos.

"I do what I please in this town and no stranger will tell me what to do. You will pay with your life for deforming me."

In the crowd of people that were forming around the two, the tall woman with grayish white hair and the red eyes was watching curiously.

Kratos pulled his sword into a fighting stance and eyed his sloppy opponent, not moving at all. The large man, who had one arm now and just a small dagger in his left hand glared at Kratos with unspeakable rage. Impatience taking over the one arm man, he ran straight at Kratos.

Kratos stayed still and waited for him to get nearer. At the right amount of the distance, Kratos struck: blindingly fast sword slices to the man's torso was more than enough to bring him down and the man fell to the ground, dead.

Seconds after the man hit the ground, the crowd boomed with applause and many people yelled there thanks to Kratos.

"Thanks, stranger!"

"He's been bothering this town for months!"

"Cool sword!"

"We can sleep soundly tonight!"

Kratos just watched them not really caring about the encouragements he got from them. He was trying to find Link in the crowd. After about five minutes of looking, he sighed and wiped his sword with a cleaning rag and sheathed it.

He left to leave the crowd but a hand caught his shoulder. He looked to see a woman in her early fifty's who was still in excellent shape for her age. She smiled at him.

"I'd like to thank you…"

"Kratos. Kratos Aurion." She looked at him questionly.

"Are you a nobleman Kratos Aurion?"

"…Something of like that. I'm guessing you wanted to give your thanks to me personally."

"Yes that man Ivan, had been stealing from the people of this town for months. Fear kept the townspeople from letting the royal knights know about this and anyone who tried to stop Ivan…." Kratos stared into her eyes, knowing the answer why no one tried to prevent his last attack.

"Anyway, I wanted to thank you and would like to enlist your help."

"For what, I may ask." The woman sighed.

"Keep this quiet okay." Kratos nodded. "Alright, the crowned princess of Hyrule, ran away from the castle and the royal knights and I are searching for her. I ran into a strange green clothed boy who said he hadn't seen her but I could tell he was lying." Kratos eyes widened.

"You've seen Link!?" The woman and even Kratos was surprised by his outburst. He cleared his throat and collected himself again. "Can you take me to him? You see he's my…apprentice."

The woman smiled. "Well that's good. If…Link is as good with a sword as you and knows where the princess is, they'll be fine. Come, I'll show you where I was the last time I saw them. And my name is Impa, Princess Zelda's caretaker."

Kratos nodded. "Alright then Impa, lead the way."

* * *

Link and Zelda were looking at a sigh. Link not knowing that the girl with him was really a princess, still was trying to impress her. So he _pretended_ to be reading the sign in front of a building while Zelda had already read it, tilted her head in curiosity. She turned to Link.

"Hey, do you know what 'Bombchu Bowling' is?" Link looked at her and then back to the sign.

"I haven't got a clue either. But let's go in and see."

The both of them walked in and were looking all around. The place certainly looked bigger on the inside than the outside for some strange reason. (**A.N. It's like that with every bowling alley I go to**) Suddenly they heard a large booming explosion. Link and Zelda turned to the far end and saw a…mouse-like bomb blow up, scaring a cucko half to death. To Link's surprisement, the girl next to him yelled.

"Wow! That was so cool. Come on, let's play?" Link eyed her surprisingly but nodded making her jump in excitement.

After about an hour or so none of them had gotten past the second wall, but Link and Zelda were having the time of their lives. Link let loose another Bombchu and sighed as he missed the target.

"Man, this is hard. Hey, you know the Princess right. Is she beautiful?"

Zelda visibly blushed. "Well…"

"Nah, she's probably a spoiled, ugly, PIG." Zelda narrowed her eyes in disgust but smiled evilly. She let loose a Bombchu straight at Link, making it blow up in his face.

Once it blew up, Zelda smiled and went back to bowling. Link however, was still standing but in a deep daze.

"Wh-what di-d I do?" The girl at the front desk who ran the game giggled.

Would you like another try? Link just fell over onto the floor

* * *

After hours of playing with masks and the shooting gallery Link and Zelda walked over to the fountain where they sat together early that day. Link sat down and looked at the stars.

"Wow, that sure was a fun day. Too bad the day's over."Zelda sighed and sat down next to him.

"Um, I…thank you…for today. I just wanted to know what it would be like to buy things with my own money and be on my own for once…like a regular girl." Link smiled at her.

"Yeah, thanks for saving me today. And for spending time with me. This was by far the best day of my life. How about we play again another day…" Link smiled. "I've had the best day of my life with my new friend and I don't even know your name." Link's eyes widened. "You don't even know my name either. My name's Link, so what's your name?"

Zelda looked at Link with surprise in her eyes. She never had a real friend besides Impa before. She smiled.

"Alright then Link, my name is…"

"ZELDA!"

Link and Zelda turned to see Impa, Kratos, and the royal knights come running towards the both of them.

**Me: That's a good place to stop.**

**Martel: I loved this chapter. Ten year old Link and Zelda**

**Me: review?**


	9. Kratos a Nobleman?

**Me: I'm back**

**Martel: That was quick.**

**Me: Well, I thought I'd get a chapter out for Veteran's Day.**

**Martel: Well that's nice of you; ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

**Me: Metal Gear Trivia: ****Les Enfantes Terribles****, The Terrible Children. A project to create the greatest soldier, created the sons of Big Boss: Solid Snake and Liquid Snake are born. (1972)**

Chapter 9

Kratos a Nobleman?

"Zelda!" Link and Zelda turned to see Impa, Kratos, and the royal knights were running towards the fountain. Link smiled.

"Kratos, there you are!" Kratos ran to Link.

"Link, are you alright?" Link blinked.

"Y-yeah, I've been fine. I've been hanging out with…" Link turned to face Zelda. "I'm sorry, but I didn't hear your name." Link smiled and Zelda gave a half hearted smile. Kratos noticed this. Zelda turned to Link.

"I…" Zelda stuttered but was interrupted by Impa.

"Come let's go." Zelda looked up to her in annoyance but nodded. She and Impa walked toward the castle but Impa stopped suddenly.

She turned to Link. "…Link, is it? I would like to thank you for entertaining…" She looked to Zelda. "My…daughter." The words came out of her mouth rather difficultly.

Kratos hid his smirk, Link looked confused, and Zelda glared at Impa. Impa glanced at Zelda and just rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I'd like to invite you, Kratos Aurion and Link to the castle tomorrow for dinner. I'm sure the King would be happy to see you."Link looked even more confused and Kratos hid a small smile. He looked toward Impa.

"We would be honored to attend Impa. We look forward to seeing the King and yourselves tomorrow, right Link." Link turned to Kratos and he nodded. Link raised an eyebrow and turned to Zelda and Impa.

"Um yeah it will be nice." He looked at Zelda. "I hope I'll see you again at the castle too." Zelda blushed and nodded. Impa saw this and smiled at Link.

"I'm sure she'll be happy to see you again Link, as well as Princess Zelda." She turned to Kratos. "Come at around 12pm tomorrow so the kids will be able to play and so the King can meet and speak with you." Kratos gave her a nod. Impa smiled.

"Well then, let's be off." Link watched as Impa and the girl left and headed towards the castle. He was still very confused about what just happened in front of him. He turned to Kratos annoyed.

"Kratos, what just happened?" Kratos eyed him.

"Let's just say, your curiosity will be satisfied tomorrow when we head to the castle." Link just stared at him utterly bewildered.

* * *

Link woke up the next morning rather groggy. After all the things he and that girl did yesterday, he still felt tired out. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he noticed that he didn't see Kratos anywhere. This got him up quickly.

"Kratos." No answer. They had slept outside the castle-town in Hyrule field but not close enough to attract Stalchildren. Link looked all around him and he still could not find Kratos anywhere.

"Kratos!" Link yelled but no one answered. All he did was wake Navi as she fluttered out of his hat.

"Link, why'd you wake me?" She looked as groggy as Link felt. Suddenly a thought came over him.

"Navi, has Kratos told you where he was going to go last night?" The fairy yawned and sat on top of his hat.

"He mentioned that he wanted to gather…information." Link tilted his head as he stared at her.

"What kind of…information?" Navi sighed.

"All I know is that he wanted to know more about Death Mountain and Zora's Domain." Link blinked.

"Why?"

"I don't know, but after telling him the little information I know he went into castle-town early probably to get more information on those two places. It's weird Link, I thought that him being a mercenary, he would know all about these sort of places."

Link was in deep thought. "Well, he might want to get information about those places because maybe he hasn't been to those places in a while." Navi was also in deep thought.

"Maybe..."

* * *

After waiting for about an hour, Kratos returned to Link and Navi. He had a straight face but Link thought he looked a little stressful.

"Where were you Kratos?"

Kratos looked at him and took a deep breath. "Link, I've been developing an identity for myself when we meet the King today."

"Why?" Kratos sighed.

"Yesterday, the woman that you met was Princess Zelda's caretaker. I had accidently let slip that I was a nobleman to her. Obviously I am not because I do not own any estate and any land."

"What's the problem then?"

"If the King or any of the people that work for him at the castle realize I have lied, you and I might be sentenced to death." Kratos spoke this last line rather casually. However Link's eyes widened.

"What?!"

"So it is important that you follow what I do and conform whatever I say to the King. Do you understand?" Link nodded and Kratos noticed some of the color was gone from his face.

"Alright then Link come into town, someone has allowed me to use their bathroom so that you can take a bath and wash your cloths. I have already washed up."

"Why do I need to take a bath?" Link was a little annoyed. Kratos sighed. 'Link must not like to bathe. This is going to be like Lloyd all over again when he was two.'

* * *

Sure enough, having lived in the forest for most of his life, Link had never taken a bath in his life. The closest he had ever had come to taking a bath was swimming in the small pool in the Lost Woods.

As the maids were finished attending to helping him wash up, without much objection from Kratos, Link emerged from the bathroom wearing a clean green tunic and cap. His boots were also polished. Link himself however, did not look too happy.

Kratos smirked at Link's face. "I trust you enjoyed your first bath." Link just glared at him.

"Kratos, I never want three women to clean me like that again saying how cute I am while giggling at me." (**A.N. Link has no idea how a lucky guy he is**)

"Link, don't you want to look your best for Princess Zelda?"

Kratos chuckled and Link just glared at him even more. He looked down to Link and composed himself again.

"We're almost done; I just have one thing left to do." Link confused just sat in the common area of the Inn Kratos had brought him too. He looked around and sighed to himself. 'I hope I get to see that girl again. She was my first friend out here.'

As Link was daydreaming about her, he did not notice Kratos come down from the bathroom wearing an entirely different outfit from his purple one. This one had only a little bit of purple on it and it was mostly white along with light indigo. All along it had hundreds of belts that kept it together and this outfit had a thinner swallow-like cape.

Link continued to stare at Kratos like he was a whole other person. Navi came out of Link's hat and flew around him observing him.

"Nice suit Kratos." Navi's words got Link to his attention but his face was still looked utterly confused.

"Kratos, why'd you change your cloths?"

"A _supposed _Nobleman has to look the part, am I right Link?" Link's eyes widened but he nodded his head.

"Alright then, let's go to the castle. It is nearly twelve." Link took a deep breath. Kratos raised an eyebrow.

"Are you nervous?"

"…A little, I want to see that girl again." Kratos inwardly smiled.

"I have a feeling you'll see her soon." The two of them left the end and made their way to Hyrule Castle.

Kratos' face showed indifference and he felt calm and collective. Link however felt nervous and dreadful while sweat could be seen running down his face.

**Me: It's short, but I wanted to separate this**

**Martel: It's okay I guess. Happy Veteran's Day**

**Me: Review?**


	10. Princess Zelda

**Me: I'm back!**

**Martel: You never left; you have no life**

**Me: You don't have to pour salt in the wound. And why are you OOC?**

**Martel: Because I'm a fragment of your imagination. ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ.**

**Me: …That's right. Metal Gear Trivia: What is Metal Gear? Metal Gear are bipedal tanks that can walk and launch nuclear weapons. They have a bunch of secondary weapons systems that protect it and Solid Snake has devoted his life to ridding the world of Metal Gear. This video game is the closest thing to a real life situation which makes it even better(and scarier).**

Chapter 10

Princess Zelda

Kratos and Link slowly walked toward Hyrule Castle. As Kratos walked smoothly and normally, Link was nearly trembling, struggling to put each foot in front of the other as he walked.

Kratos eyes glanced toward Link's shaking form. He took a deep breath.

"Link, you should relax." Link looked towards Kratos.

"I can't Kratos! We have so much to do; we don't know enough about what were supposed to do. The only clue we have is this stone." Link pulled out the Kokiri Emerald and shoved it into Kratos' face.

Kratos raised an eyebrow at Link's actions. "Settle down Link. Remember the words of the Giant Tree. All you need to do is meet Princess Zelda. I'm sure she'll explain everything."

Link just stared at Kratos. "Kratos…how can you be so calm and relaxed about this?"

"I've lived a lot longer than you Link. I am able to deal with obstacles like this _because _I remain calm. After I'm calm, I think through problems rationally. I think it is a good idea to develop…problem solving skills. Once you do, you can accomplish nearly anything."

Link stared at Kratos and a smile crept up on his face. "Thanks Kratos, I'll…try to relax."

Kratos smirked but it quickly disappeared. "Remember Link, though the King, Zelda, Impa, you, and I will be attending the dinner, I doubt that it'll be just us. We can't risk you discussing openly about your…destiny to save Hyrule."

"Why not Kratos?"

"With a task of this importance, someone might overhear and try to kill you." Link gasped but tried to calm himself as Kratos just told him he should. "Before or after the dinner party, I want you to talk to the Princess alone. The Giant Tree said that she holds the information we need to know."

Link gulped. "I-I'll…try. Um, Kratos…what does the Princess…look like? I mean, you were with her caretaker yesterday. Did she…describe her…to you."

Kratos closed his eyes. "She is about your age and will probably like you very much. After all, you saved her—I mean her friend yesterday right." Link blinked.

"Yeah, the girl I saved seemed lonely. It was like she never had any friends in the world, except maybe Princess Zelda." Kratos stared at Link amazed, but hid his amazement from view.

"Your reasoning skills have developed. I too, saw that on her face last night when I saw her." Link laughed.

"I guess hanging out with you has influenced me, huh Kratos."

"So it would seem."

As the two of them walked they finally came to the gated archway of Hyrule Castle with two knights standing guard. Kratos raised an eyebrow at their fighting stance with their spears. 'I don't think they'll ever be able to stop trained enemy soldiers if the time comes.'

"Halt! State thy names and purpose for being here." The soldier looked at Link first, examining his commoner clothing. Link looked unnerved but did not show any weakness. Kratos just stared at the other soldier unnerving him but Link could tell the other guy was trembling from Kratos' death glare. Kratos looked to the other soldier now causing him to remove his eyes from Link.

"I am Kratos Aurion. I am a liaison to the Goron and Zora tribes. Since I move to and from each tribe often, I have relinquished my land and estates in those areas and stay in the tribes company whenever I visit." Kratos took a breath.

"Last week after visiting the King of the Zoras I came across the young man behind me. Immediately I noticed his talent in the way of the sword, and have taken him under my wing as my apprentice." Kratos jestered to Link behind him.

"He is a child of the forest and I deemed him worthy to teach my skills to him." Kratos came close to the first guard and whispered so Link would not hear. "This is the young boy who spent his day with Princess Zelda yesterday when she ran away. He entertained her and kept him safe." Kratos pulled away from the first guard.

"And since Lady Impa saw my talent for a sword when dealing with that extortionist yesterday, she invited both of us to the King's dinner party."

Both guards were speechless and seemed stunned. Finally one of the guard's broke the silence.

"I trust that being a…representative of Goron's and Zora's that you have some form of identification." Kratos froze. He had completely forgotten about some form of paper work conforming all the lies he just told him. 'I have my Cruxis identification but I can't use that here.'

Link picked up on Kratos' nervousness and thought of anything unique to Kratos. Suddenly he had it.

"Ah, royal knights. Ever since Kratos…sold off his land, he doesn't have any identification. But…" Link pointed to Kratos' sword. "He has this…Goron…made…fire sword." Link didn't even believe what he just said.

However, the guards weren't really smart to begin with and Kratos' eyes widened at what Link was suggesting. He flashed a smile at Link.

"Yes, if I may?" He jestered at his sword and both guards nodded their heads. Kratos unsheathed Flameberg.

"My sword 'Flameberg,' ...Goron design." The two guards were entranced by it.

"So that's the blade that did in Ivan, remarkable." He looked up to Kratos. "You and your apprentice may pass." They opened the gates. "Steve!" A guard inside the castle grounds came running. "Show our guests to his majesty."

The guard saluted. "Yes sir!"

Kratos and Link followed him through the grounds and inside the castle. Before they went inside Kratos glanced to Link.

"Nice save Link." Link smiled.

"No problem."

* * *

"Father! Father, I beg of you! Don't meet with that man! For some reason…"

"Again with that dream of yours? Nonsense Zelda, it is a time of peace." The King of Hyrule left to sit on his throne and Zelda just stood nonmoving; her spirit was broken.

The King looked at her and sighed. "Look Zelda, I just can't believe you but that doesn't mean I don't love you okay." Zelda looked up to see her father.

"I…" The King smiled.

"I'm sorry Zelda, but I can't believe that dream of yours. Impa!" In a flash of light, the Sheikah appeared.

"What is it your highness?" Impa asked while she bowed.

"Take my daughter to the castle courtyard. I received word that two of our guests have arrived already."

"Yes, your highness. Come along Zelda." Zelda glanced at her father before going to her favorite part of the castle.

* * *

Kratos and Link walked silently through the castle, passing many archways and portraits of past rulers of the country. Kratos also noticed portraits that were slightly out of place. There was a man with a bushy mustache in…blue overalls, a blonde princess in a pink dress, a monstrous dragon with spikes on its back, and a green…dinosaur.

Kratos' eyebrows were raised and he turned to Link to see if he would question the portraits also. However, Link took no note to them and Kratos thought it was best to not ask any questions.

Kratos and Link walked with their chaperone until they came to a set of giant double doors. The guard turned to them.

"Remember to show your respect to the King you two."

"Of course." Kratos replied. The guard eyed him.

"I meant the boy." He pointed at Link.

"Um, I will."

"Alright then." The guard opened the door and the Kratos and Link walked through the door.

"Your majesty, may I present to you Kratos Aurion! Ex-Nobleman, liaison between our neighbors the mighty Gorons and the graceful Zora's, and his apprentice Link, of the Kokiri Tribe."

The King smiled. "I have heard of both your exploits as of late." He turned to Kratos first. "Kratos Aurion, is it true that you killed the criminal 'Ivan' yesterday?" Kratos' face was unmoving.

"That is correct. The thief or Ivan as you said, was simply terrorizing your citizen's businesses in the market. I look down upon those that terrorize the innocent. So I stepped in and…ended the situation." The King laughed.

"Polite way to put it I may add." He turned to Link but still spoke to Kratos. "But this boy interests me the most. Is it true that he protected my daughter from harm yesterday?"

Kratos nodded. "Yes he did. He stood by her side all day yesterday not only protecting her, but giving her the time of her life by being a good friend."

The King directed all of his attention at Link. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart Link. She hasn't been this happy since her mother was still alive." Link was confused but went with it.

"I-I'm so sorry about your loss and it was nothing…your highness, she was fun to spend time with." King laughed again.

"Polite and modest." He turned to Kratos. "Kratos I see he will become a great swordsman when he is of age. And Link." Link turned to him once again.

"Y-yes, your highness?"

"You have a great teacher. I shall expect great things from you." Link smiled.

"I'll do my best." The King nodded and turned to face Kratos.

"Now then, I'm waiting on my liaison of the Gerudo to arrive so why don't we have Link spend time with my daughter, I'm sure she'll be delighted to see him again." Kratos nodded.

"I see no problem with it."

"It is settled then. Impa!" In a flash of light, the sheikian woman Impa appeared. This vaguely reminded Kratos of Sheena and the other ninja's of Mizuho.

"Yes your highness?"

"Take Link to my daughter, have them meet up with us when it is time for our banquet."

"Yes your majesty, come along Link."

"Um, alright. See you soon Kratos."

* * *

Link and Impa walked to the castle courtyard. Link was thoroughly confused.

"Impa, I don't get it. I hung out with a servant girl of the princess, not the princess herself."

Impa chuckled to herself. Link glared at her.

"What's so funny?!" Suddenly Link saw a girl spying through a small window. He heard her lovely voice.

"Link, I haven't told you my name yet, have I?" Link's eyes widened.

"Y-you're…" She turned to face him and Link stared at her.

"Z-zelda?!"

**Me: Big surprise there. However Link was the only one kept in the dark. Don't know why I did it. (ponders) I guess it was fun to mess with him.**

**Link: I didn't think it was funny.**

**Me: Well I did, and get out of here, you're not supposed to be here. Where's Martel?**

**Martel: I let him come. **

**Me: Why?**

**Martel: Well, I let Kratos into Hyrule didn't I?**

**Me: Point taken, Review?**


	11. The King of Thieves

**Me: I'm back and this weekend I celebrated my sister's 18****th**** birthday, parent's 20****th**** anniversary, and my mom's 49****th**** birthday.**

**Martel: Wow, didn't know November was a busy month for you.**

**Me: Yeah I'm beat, anyway here's another chapter and I'll stop list metal gear facts since I'm out of the interesting ones**

**Martel: ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

Chapter 11

The King of Thieves

Zelda smiled. "I am Zelda. Princess of Hyrule and next in line to the throne."

Link just stared at her blushing. She looked so beautiful in her royal gown. Purple-pinkish gown with heavenly white together. He stared into her blue eyes and didn't want to ever look away. Zelda noticed this and blushed.

"LINK!" Navi yelled and came out of his hat. Link suddenly realized he was staring at her and was brought back to reality.

"P-princess…Z-zelda!" He blurted out by accident. "W-why didn't you tell me you were the p-princess."

Zelda frowned at his reaction and gazed at the flowers in the courtyard, not wanting to look Link in the eye.

"Link…I had the best day of my life yesterday. I didn't want it to end. If I told you I was a princess…you'd look at me differently and stop being my friend."

"Princess, I…would never stop being your friend." She looked up at him now, some tears running down her face. "I admit, I am surprised you're the princess, but I still think of you as my friend." Link smiled.

Zelda felt like she was about to cry. Not from grief, but from sheer happiness.

"Link…" Zelda ran surprisingly quick to Link and hugged him, catching Link off guard. Link reluctantly…hugged her back, afraid of breaking some rule of touching the princess. Zelda let her tears go and cried into his arms.

"Link, thank you for being my friend! Y-you're the first person to treat me normally!"

"Uh…y-your w-welcome, p-princess." Link was blushing madly at being this close to his crush. Zelda then noticed how close they were and immediately pulled back.

"Um…t-thanks again L-link." Zelda was now blushing and Link smiled at her nervously.

"You're welcome p-princess." Zelda rolled her eyes.

"Link you're my friend. You don't need to call me princess. Just Zelda okay." She smiled.

"Okay pr—I me Zelda. But won't I get in trouble?"

"Link like I said, I'm next in line for the throne. I'm pretty sure if I say you can, you're allowed."

"Okay…ah oh wait!" Link went into his pack and pulled out the Kokiri Emerald. "The Great Deku tree told me I was supposed to give this to you." Link handed her the stone.

"He also told me you would have the answers of what I'm supposed to do next." Zelda eyed the emerald and gave it back to Link.

"Link, I believe you're destined to save Hyrule. But first I want to tell you the secret of the Sacred Realm." Link raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"Well, the story goes like this…"

"_The three goddesses hid the Triforce containing the powers of the gods somewhere in Hyrule. The power to grant the wish of the one who holds the Triforce in his hands. If someone with a righteous heart makes a wish, it will lead Hyrule into a golden age of prosperity…but, if someone with an evil mind has his wish granted, the world will be consumed by evil. So, the ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the Triforce from the evil ones."_

Link was stunned beyond words. The Triforce can grant the wish of the beholder.

"That is amazing power. Granting any wish…man, that's…very dangerous." Zelda nodded.

"Yes, it is. Come to my window Link." Link tilted his head, but obeyed her.

"What am I looking for Zelda?" Link stared out the window and saw the King of Hyrule speaking with Kratos. 'Just what am I looking for?'

Then out of the left side of the window, came a man with flaming red hair wearing black armor. Link gasped. He had seen him before but couldn't remember where.

"That man, Ganondorf. Though he claims allegiance to my father, I'm sure he's not sincere. A vision came to me; dark clouds surrounding the land of Hyrule. Before the land was swallowed up in darkness completely, a green light shined through the darkness. At first the darkness and the green light were evenly matched, but then a figure descended from the sky and aided the green light against the darkness. However, my father does not believe me."

Zelda stood next to Link and looked out the window. "Link, I believe _you_ are the green light in my vision and that the dark clouds that surround Hyrule is that man Ganondorf."

Ganondorf glanced over to see Link and Zelda watching him through the window. Link and Zelda immediately pulled away from the window.

"Zelda, I just want to know that…I believe you. The Great Deku Tree told me of this and that man matches the description of the one that killed the Great Deku Tree." Zelda gasped.

"T-that's horrible." Link closed his eyes.

"However, I'm confused though. What was the figure who came from the sky to aid me?"

"I'm not too sure myself. He was silhouetted in my vision. The only thing that clearly defined him was that he had blue wings!" Link turned to her in shock.

"What?!" Zelda's face was as shocked as Link's.

"Yeah I know. It's just…I've never seen anybody or anything like that before." Navi came out of Link's hat.

"Maybe it was me." Zelda shook her head.

"I'm sorry Navi, but the figure that came from the heavens was a man, not a fairy." Navi seemed to deflate a bit.

"Oh, I see."

"I'm sorry Navi." Impa walked into the courtyard.

"Zelda and Link, it is time for the banquet."

"We're coming Impa. Come Link, let's go eat."

"Wha…" Link said no more as Zelda grabbed his hand and flew through the castle corridors to the banquet hall.

* * *

As Link was led away to play with the Princess, Kratos turned to the King.

"Your daughter is quite bold your highness. Link told me that she saved him from not being able to pay for bread from one of the market carts yesterday." The King smiled.

"Yes, she'll be a great leader when she comes of age. However, her bold attitude lately has caused her to believe some of the dreams she's having are real." Kratos' eye twitched.

"What do you mean by that?" The King looked uncomfortable.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." The King eyed Kratos suspiciously. "I don't remember appointing anyone of the "Aurion" family to be liaisons to the Goron and Zora tribes." Kratos closed his eyes.

"I am not one of the appointed families, per say. I was originally…raised by the old noble when I was found on his doorstep. He decided that I should be raised to guard and protect him while he was on the road as liaison to the two tribes. However he passed away a few months ago and since both tribes saw me with him when he met with them, he left me the duty of being Hyrule's liaison to both tribes." The King just stared at him.

"So…you're not really a nobleman…aren't you." Kratos shook his head.

"No…not techniquely anyway. But always by my master's side, I learned the habits and manners of the nobility. Whether it be greetings or table manners, I prove to be very polite and respectful toward my superiors and gentle and caring towards the people of our country." The King surprised, but he smiled.

"I couldn't ask for a better liaison to our neighbors. Now tell me: where did you learn to fight with a sword?" Kratos chuckled.

"My master had at least three swordsmen come in and I would learn from them. After years of practice and patience, my master took me with him to the Gorons and they had this crafted for me." Kratos unsheathed Flameberg and the King looked entranced.

"This is…a beautiful blade." The doors opened and a loud booming voice came through the hall.

"Yes, it is a finely crafted sword." The King and Kratos looked up to see a tall man walking through the hall. Flaming red hair covered in black armor, Kratos caught an uneasy vibe off this man. However the King smiled.

"It is good to see you. Kratos, may I introduce to you, the Leader of the Gerudo's, Ganondorf."

Ganondorf took a bow. "It is an honor to accompany you to this banquet my King." The man glanced to a window to his right but turned his eyes back on the King. He slowly got up.

"To what are we celebrating today?" The King laughed.

"This man's young apprentice looked after my daughter when she ran away from here yesterday." Ganondorf eyed Kratos.

"She was safely returned, I assume." Kratos looked at the man with a sense of indifference.

"Yes, she was." The King smiled.

"However, we are also celebrating Kratos' actions as well. He saved a local vender from a notorious mugger. None of my soldiers have been able to stop him."

Ganondorf eyes narrowed. "Really, well then…Kratos, was it?"

"Kratos Aurion."

"Yes, I applaud you for your…public service yesterday."

"…Thank you." The tension in the room was so thick it could be cut with Flameberg. Kratos did not like this man from the start. He was…unnerving, even to him. Even more startling was that he matched the Giant Tree's description of the man who killed him." The King, oblivious to the tension in the room slapped his hands together.

"Well then, now that Ganondorf has arrived I say we eat. Impa!" The Sheikian appeared.

"Yes my King?"

"Call Zelda and Link, we're going to eat." She bowed.

"Yes your highness."

* * *

The King of Hyrule's dining table was very large. Fifty feet by five feet. The King sat at the head of the table. Zelda sat at on her father's right side and Kratos was across from her. On Zelda's right Link sat closely to Zelda. Impa did not sit down but stood close to the King. Ganondorf sat next to Kratos, disgusted that he was not sitting right next to the King and also, he seemed that he didn't like Kratos that much.

They were eating a large serving of roast beef, together with sautéed green beans, mashed potatoes and dinner rolls. The King was wolfing all the food on his plate down while Zelda ate slower but enjoying the meal nonetheless. She however did not touch her green beans. Kratos noticed this, but said nothing. Link didn't mind his vegetables and ate his meal almost as fast as the King. Kratos ate slowly, not being used to eating and Ganondorf stabbed at his meat like it was still alive. Kratos again noticed this but again said nothing.

"So Link…" The King began. "My daughter wasn't too much trouble today." The King smiled.

"N-not at all your highness." Zelda glared at her father as if saying 'drop the subject, now!'

"Well then Ganondorf, how goes the Gerudo tribe?" Ganondorf eyed the King and struggled to smile.

"They are well, my lord. My tribe as well as me continue to plead our loyalty to the crown of Hyrule."

"Good, good."

The rest of the meal went on very quietly. After the desserts were served, the subject of conversation went to a point Zelda did not like to talk about. Of course, Ganondorf brought it up.

"Your majesty, if I may be so bold, have any potential suitors ask for the Princess' hand yet?"

The King laughed. "It's a little early for that Ganondorf, but I'm sure I'll pick the most suitable one for my daughter."

Zelda pushed her chair out of her table and ran right out of the dining hall. Link watched as he saw tears streaming down her face. For a strange reason, Link felt a similar pain in his stomach when she ran from the room. Kratos watched also but his face remained indifferent. The King paid no mind to it.

"Don't mind her everyone, she'll get over it." Ganondorf smiled wickedly and Link rose from the table now.

"Um, your highness…may I excused." The King nodded and Link ran in the direction of the Castle Courtyard.

* * *

Link ran and ran to the Castle Courtyard. When he entered it, he found Zelda on a bench crying. He silently walked up to her feeling uncomfortable.

"Um, hey Zelda." Zelda looked up at Link and ran towards him hugging him so hard that Link felt she didn't want to let go.

"Link…I don't want an arranged marriage. I hate my father for even bragging about it."

Link didn't say anything. What could he say to her? That he liked her, that he loved her and wanted to marry her. He wanted to say that but he just couldn't. The only thing Link could do was hold onto Zelda and never let go.

**Me: How was that?**

**Martel: That was…beautiful. Is this going to turn into a romance story between those two.**

**Me: It would be ironic. Me writing romance. I can't even hold on to a relationship for more than a month and it's been ages since I had a girlfriend.**

**Martel: Yeah, yeah. I didn't need to hear your life story.**

**Me: Don't mind her. Review?**


	12. Goodbye's are hard

**Me: Well I'm back with another chapter**

**Martel: Any more fluffy romance?**

**Me: No, it's been a rough month with exams—**

**Martel: I meant with Link and Zelda**

**Me: Oh. Well sorry to all my fans who want the romance to continue but its going to stop for now.**

**Martel: Aww, that's too bad, Link reminded me of Yuan a bit**

**Me: …**

**Martel: What?**

**Me: Nothing, on with the story.**

Chapter 12

Goodbye's are hard

As the night came swiftly Ganondorf suddenly had to take off much to the disappointment of the King. As for Zelda and Link, they were very relieved that that man was leaving. Kratos expressed no emotion regarding the other red-heads departure, though he was secretly glad he was on his way as well.

Seeing as Ganondorf was leaving, the King practically begged for Kratos and Link to stay for the night. Kratos was silently debating it in his mind, but seeing as both of them didn't know what to do next and seeing as the Princess was very clingy with Link, he gave into the King's request.

"Excellent then! I'll have the maids prepare two of our finest guest bedrooms." The King of Hyrule ran off to find some of his maids as Kratos made his way to Link and Zelda. Kratos bowed to the Princess.

"I don't think we were properly introduced Princess. I am Kratos Aurion, a…mercenary. I am traveling with Link in order to save Hyrule, as ordered by your goddesses themselves."

Zelda narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. "What do you mean by 'your' goddesses?"

"N-nothing, forgive me…it is the lateness of the hour." Zelda stilled stared at him suspiciously but she forgot all about it once Link spoke.

"Zelda, he's the guy who's training me how to use a sword. He's a really good teacher." Zelda stared at Link and then back at Kratos' red eyes. Link rolled his eyes.

"He's my mentor; just think of him as a male Impa." That remark got Zelda giggling fiercely and Link smiled. Zelda turned to Kratos.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Kratos." She turned and whispered to Link. Unknown to either of them, Kratos was listening loud and clear.

"Link, I know he is traveling with you and all, but…can we trust him?" Link blinked but smiled.

"Of course Zelda. Don't worry, he also believes your prophecy." That got Zelda to smile. She turned to Kratos.

"Really, so you believe me too." Kratos raised his eyebrows.

"Of course Princess, I've seen the evidence of your prophecy in the forest where I met up with Link." Link twitched at the memory of the Great Deku Tree's death.

Zelda smiled at the angel. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart then. Now, I'm sure you and Link are wondering what to do next."

Link was all ears. "Yes we are, where should we head next Zelda?"

She smiled. "Both of you come with me."

She led the two of them out to one of the castle balconies. Zelda then pointed toward a large mountain with a cloud like ring around it.

"That is Death Mountain. There, you two should find the Goron race. They are creatures made with rock and are very tough. They hold the second spiritual stone; the Goron Ruby."

Kratos was quite intrigued. He had been using their name as a way for entry into the castle but was curious to see what they were and how they acted. He glanced over to Link and he was just as curious. But also a little nervous.

"Um Zelda, the Goron people. Are they…friendly?" She giggled at his worried expression.

"Don't worry Link. They are a rough people but they have the biggest hearts." Link smiled.

"Okay then, I can't wait to see them!" Impa appeared out of thin air scaring Link. He would never get used to that.

"I'm afraid it is time for bed children." Zelda pouted but smiled.

"Okay then. Impa could you please show Link to his room, I would like to talk with Kratos." Impa was reluctant to leave Zelda alone with Kratos but obeyed her command. Once Link was out of ear shot, Zelda turned to Kratos.

"Um Kratos, I just want to say…thank you…for watching over Link."

"Think nothing of it Princess, it is my duty to protect and mentor him."

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"…" Kratos said nothing. Zelda sighed.

"Alright then, but you are unusual person Kratos. Just…protect Link, in any way you can." Kratos closed his eyes.

"I will." She smiled.

"Thank you, I just needed to hear that. Now, let me show you to your room, Impa's going to get annoyed that I've stayed up so late."

Kratos smiled and walked behind Zelda to get some 'rest.'

* * *

"Get up Link!"

"Wha…AHH!" Link was jumped out of his bed but being stuck under layers of covers made him fall to the floor.

_Thud!_

Link rubbed his head and looked up to see who woke him up.

"Ow, Kratos!" He looked to his window. "The sun's not even up yet!"

Kratos didn't care. "Grab your weapons Link, we have training to do."

Link groaned and got out of his tangled blankets. After picking up his sword and shield, he followed Kratos to the palace courtyard. Link yawned.

"…Kratos, what time is it?" Kratos smirked.

"It is half past five. A warrior should be prepared to fight at any time, if you want to survive." Link groaned again. Kratos glared at him and he shut up rather quickly.

"Now, seeing as you're still asleep…FIFTY JUMPING JACKS!"

"What?"

"Not good enough, fine, SIXTY JUMPING JACKS!" Link got the message fast and got started warming up.

* * *

It was 8a.m. now and Link was throuohly exhausted. He was tired just after warm ups and then he had to train as well.

"Again Link!" Again, Link tried to get into his stance.

"Now, come at me!" Link ran at Kratos even though his legs felt like jello and tried a vertical slice at the angel. Kratos elsely deflated his strike and hit him with his shield, making Link fall to the ground. Kratos pointed Flameberg at his neck.

"A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage." Link took a long look at him but his head fell back to the ground. Kratos sighed.

"That's enough for today, let us go to the main hall and get breakfast." Kratos began to walk away. Link however, couldn't get up because he was so tired.

"Kratos, a little help."

Kratos sighed. 'Well, from this distance, he can't hear me.' Kratos whispered, "First Aid."

The affect came immediately. Link felt his tiredness lift from him and he could get up.

"Ah, don't worry Kratos. I'm…surprisingly fine now." Kratos smirked.

"Well then, drop your stuff off in your room and head for the dining hall."

"R-right."

* * *

"Ugh, I just think Kratos likes to mess with me."

Link had been wandering for fifteen minutes before he realized he was lost. Hyrule Castle was very large and Link could not find his way back to his room, back to the palace courtyard, or even the dining hall.

Link just stopped walking and leaned against one of the long walls of the corridor he was in at the moment. Suddenly he heard a noise.

_Graaagh!_

Link sighed and clutched his stomach. He was very hungry having not eating a thing yet and training for three straight hours.

"Link?"

Link glanced over to see who called his name and was very relieved. Zelda was still in her PJ's from the other night and walked over to him.

"Link, why are you here?" She glanced all over him and saw that he looked very tired. "Where have you been?"

Link gave a small smile. "Uh, hi Zelda. I'm…" He started rubbing his back uncomfortably. "I'm kinda…lost." Zelda blinked. Then she giggled.

"Hey! It's not funny. I mean, this castle is huge!" However Zelda continued to laugh.

"Oh I'm sorry Link, but it's just very funny. This used to happen to me years ago. Come, I'll be your guide." She grabbed his hand. "Where are you going, breakfast?"

Link blushed as Zelda held on to his hand. "Uh…yeah, I mean, first I want to drop off my sword and shield first." Zelda tilted her head.

"Why were you carrying those around in the castle?" Link's face fell and he groaned.

"Kratos got me up early for training in your courtyard. I only just finished like, a half an hour ago." Zelda stopped and faced Link.

"How early?"

"Uh…5:30." Zelda's eyes widened.

"What?! Oh Link, you must be exhausted. Here, let's hurry up so you can get a bite to eat."

So the two of them hurried along the castle dropping off Link's weapons and meeting up with the King, Impa, and Kratos in the dining hall.

As soon as they sat down, Zelda started sending glares at Kratos but just ignored her father completely. Too into ignoring her father, she stacked food onto Link's plate until Kratos said something.

"Princess, I know you mean well but if you don't stop piling on food to my apprentice's plate, he'll be the fattest swordsman I've ever seen."

"Huh?" She looked and saw the surprised look of Link and his plate of eleven servings of scrambled eggs, seven pieces of toast, and it was covered in hash browns.

She blushed and gave Link his plate.

"Um…eat up!" She quickly took her seat.

The rest of the breakfast was quiet and the King was just commenting on the weather followed by a few "It's nice" and "beautiful days" from everyone else. Finally at the end of the meal Kratos got up and bowed to both the King and the Princess.

"I thank you both for your hospitality for inviting us to the castle and spending the night. However, Link and I must make good time and get a move on." The King smiled.

"Of course Kratos. You and Link are always welcome to visit, just make sure you send word ahead."

Kratos glanced over to Link. That alone, told him to get their stuff and let's go.

* * *

As the two of them were walking towards the castle gates they heard someone yell.

"WAIT!!!" Kratos and Link turned to see Princess Zelda clutching her dress with her hands to run over to meet them with Impa running behind her.

She stopped by Link. "Link, take this with you. I'm sure it'll come in handy."

Link held out his hand and Zelda gave him a small piece of paper.

"It's a letter from me. Just show any Royal guards this and they'll allow both of you passage to any place out of bounds to the general public." Link handed the document to Kratos. He examined it but raised his eyebrows.

"Thank you Princess, I'm sure that this…official document of the royal family will be very useful to use." She smiled.

"Thank you Kratos." Kratos folded the paper and secretly put it in his wingpack.

"Come Link, let us go." Kratos walked off and Link followed but was stopped by Zelda.

"What is it Zelda?" She bit her lip but smiled.

"Please be careful." She closed her eyes and gave Link a kiss on the cheek. To say Link was lovesick was an understatement. His mind had completely left his body.

"I-I-I-I…w-w-w-will…Z-z-z-zelda."

As he walked away, he felt like he was floating on the air. As he caught up to Kratos he was blushing fiercely.

"Zelda…she's…she's…she's—

"Link." He looked up to Kratos.

"Sometimes, feelings we experience are so great, words simply cannot express them." Link blinked at Kratos and smiled.

"That was deep Kratos. Have you had a similar experience?"

Kratos didn't answer, he just kept on walking.

'Yes…I have.' Unknown to Link, he gave a small smile and a single tear ran down his face.

'Anna.'

**Me: That's good for now.**

**Martel: Where's the plot?**

**Me: I'll be getting back into it next chapter. Sorry Romance people, it's going to end for now…but it's not over. Review?**


	13. An old friend

**Me: UGH!**

**Martel: (sighs) what is it now?**

**Me: I just took my history and algebra exams and I forgot to have Zelda teach Link her lullaby. So I'll just have him know it already, Zelda taught him it off screen.**

**Martel: Oh…screen?**

**Me: Yeah, anyway I learned that the guy who played Botta and Origin in ToS will be playing Master Miller in Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker. Tara Strong is returning to play some girl named Paz(Peace in Spanish).**

**Martel: I think your fans think your obsessed with that series.**

**Me: I'm obsessed with everything. It's just I'll be more obsessed about it just after I experience it. Anyway this chapter was hard for me because I'm more of a Malink fan than Zelink.**

**Martel: Hmm, ShadowV doesn't own LoZ or ToS**

**Me: Unlucky 13 and 20 shopping days till Christmas**

Chapter 13

An old friend returns

It was about midday, and Link, Navi, and Kratos were walking in Hyrule field. Kratos just observed the landscape. The world was very open and he felt that the journey was going to take him everywhere. Link was playing Saria's Ocarina to pass the time. Kratos had noticed he had learned a song to play on it. The song was very peaceful to his angelic ears. Link finished up his song and smiled.

"Did you like it Kratos? Zelda taught me the song "Zelda's Lullaby." It should help us on the journey."

Kratos smiled. He had no idea how music would help them on this journey but he kept that to himself.

"Kratos." Kratos looked down to Link.

"Yes, what is it?" Link opened his mouth to answer but his stomach answered for him.

_Graaah!_

Link looked at his stomach and smiled. "That about sums it up." Kratos rolled his eyes.

"Do you have any food in your pack with you?" Link stood silent for a moment then gave off a goofy smile. Kratos sighed.

"I'm sorry Link but I did not pack any food. I forgot to ask the King for supplies before leaving this morning." Link frowned.

"Great, what are we going to eat for lunch?" Navi flew out of his hat.

"How about some delicious grass you two." Both of them glared at the fairy.

"Not helping Navi." Link plopped himself onto the ground and sighed. "Great, now what are we supposed to eat?"

_Aaaaahhhhh!!! Help Me!_

Kratos and Link turned to the direction of the cry for help. Over a hill, a cow was running uncontrollably, towards the both of them.

Link, out of instinct ran to the side, out of the way. Kratos simply stood his ground, not moving a step with the oncoming cow still cruising towards him. Link was panicking.

"Kratos, get out of the way!" Kratos did not move a muscle.

When the cow was ten feet away, Kratos put his right foot behind him and his hands out. Navi was fluttering around Link.

"What is he doing? Even he can't stop a runaway cow!" Link and Navi both closed their eyes not wanting to see Kratos get run over. Instead, they waited for the sound of him going…_splat_.

…

Nothing happened. Link and Navi only heard a grunt from the cow. Both of them slowly opened their eyes. But as they both opened them, they closed their eyes and rubbed them fiercely in utter disbelief.

Kratos had his hands against the cows head and he had stopped it in its tracks. The cow had only moved him a couple of inches backward too.

After a minute of waiting, Kratos felt the cow relax itself and he loosened his grip and began to pet it.

Link slowly walked up to Kratos but kept as much distance between himself and the cow.

"Kratos…how did you do that?!?" Kratos closed his eyes.

"I'm a lot stronger than I look." He didn't reply any further and Link _and _Navi's curiosity of about the matter did not go down one bit.

"Isabel!" A young girl no older than Link came running down the hill toward the cow. She had long brown hair and a simple work dress. Kratos walked up to her.

"In case you are wondering, your cow is safe. I stopped her from running away." The girl looked at him just like Link and Navi.

"…You stopped a runaway cow!?" Kratos didn't say anything; he went back to petting the cow. It mooed its thanks.

"Well…thank you…ah…?" Kratos looked up to her.

"Kratos." Link smiled and walked over to the girl.

"And my name Link. What's your name?" She stared at Link as Navi flew around him.

"I'm Malon of Lon Lon Ranch. Wow a fairy, you must be from the forest Fairy Boy." Link stared at her as she walked the cow back her ranch.

She looked back at the two of them. "Come on you two, I'd like to thank you guys with a meal, seeing as Fairy Boy looks so hungry."

_Graaah!_

Link stared down at his stomach as it growled again. He gave off a goofy smile and accepted Malon's offer. Kratos followed right behind him.

* * *

Link was awe. Kratos was mainly uninterested. Lon Lon Ranch was home to all of Hyrule's Lon Lon milk. The ranch even raised and breed horses that Link was admiring while he watched them race around the ranch.

Malon just smiled at Link's reaction to the ranch. "Here Fairy Boy, try some of our milk on the house. You too Kratos."

Link took the milk and took a small sip having not drunken milk before. After his first sip, his reaction to it was immediate; he gulped down the bottle of milk as fast as he could.

"Malon…this has got to be the greatest thing I've ever drank, thank you."

Kratos had a more subtle reaction to her milk and drank it down more sparingly than Link. But nonetheless, gave the girl a small smile.

"Yes, it does have its own special flare to it." Malon gave a warm smile.

"Thank you both very much. Seeing your reactions as well as the reactions of other people that buy our milk make it worthwhile to make and sell it. Oh, and you can keep the bottles too. They might come in use later." Kratos looked to her than down to his bottle.

'Hmm, it might not be sanitary but she may be right.' Kratos gave his bottle to Link.

"Link, why don't you hold onto them? The pack you have does make it unusually possible to hold plenty of items. 'Much like my wingpack.'

Link blinked. "Uh, sure Kratos."

After taking the bottles, he turned to Malon. "Hey Malon, I was wondering…what do you do around here?"

"Well, Mr. Ingo, my dad, and I all work together to keep this ranch running everyday however my dad usually likes to sleep in."

Link frowned. "Oh. But what I meant was what you do for fun around here."

Malon sighed. "Well, I usually ride the horses around here for fun but it really is no fun alone." Her face brightened immediately. "But, I'm done with my chores for the day and it would be fun if you join me. That is, if you want to." Link blinked for second but smiled at her.

"I would love to but…" Link turned to Kratos. "You don't mind, do you Kratos?"

Kratos turned around suddenly and Link felt the hope in his body leave him. However it came back just as fast.

"Do as you will Link, I will be practicing my sword skills just outside the ranch fences." He turned around to face Malon.

"I trust you know how to handle yourself around horses safely Malon?" Malon looked insulted.

"I'll have you know I'm the best rider in all of Hyrule Kratos. Now, go play with your sword Kratos. Me and Fairy Boy are going to have some fun." **(I know, that sounded dirty but she's ten. She's not corrupted like you and me yet)**

She led Link away to the horses. Kratos frowned. The horses reminded him of an old friend he would love to see at the moment.

_I can make that possible angel._

Kratos froze, but regained his composter when he recognized the voice. The image of Lon Lon Ranch faded around Kratos and he came face to face with the Goddess of Power herself.

Kratos stared at his new surroundings.

"Where are we?" Din smiled at his reaction.

"I distorted space and time to meet you here." She walked over to Kratos in a rather…seductive fashion. Her hands simply glided over his chest and up to his face.

"You seemed rather lonely here Kratos. I mean, our little hero has been making many friends on his journey so far and has even fallen in love with the princess of destiny herself."

"…" Kratos didn't say anything. Din continued running her hands all around Kratos' body.

"I was wondering if you wanted an old friend with you on this journey. It would be possible for me to send him here if that's what you desired."

Kratos slowly removed her hands away from his body and face much to a disappointed Din.

"Who are you referring to, if I may?" Din put her finger to his lips.

"I think you know Kratos. I did just read your mind."

"Then I think you know, I'm not interested in you." Kratos said rather coldly. Din however shook it off.

"I was just trying to make your journey more enjoyable Kratos. And it would be possible. Martel can have him over here by tonight. If you want him here." Kratos stared at her for long while before coming to a descion. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"It would be wonderful to see him again." Din threw her arms around Kratos. Kratos was almost fumely.

"Din, there is only one woman who can throw her arms over me. You are not her." Din pouted.

"Fine Mr. Nice Guy." She closed her eyes and she glowed for a second. After that she opened them.

"It is done Kratos. Stay by the ranch for the rest of the day. He will meet you by sunset."

"T-thanks." She winked at him.

"No problem Mr. Angel. We can't interfere directly like this all the time but I felt you needed someone you know with you."

With that she disappeared and Kratos returned to the ranch. He looked over to the horizon.

'I can't wait to see you, old friend.'

**Me: It felt good to stop here.**

**Martel: Why did you have me transport—**

**Me: Don't say it, you'll spoil the surprise, review**


	14. Epona's Song and Noishe's Song?

**Me: I should be studying**

**Martel: Then study.**

**Me: I don't feel like it, so here's chapter 14**

**Martel: (slaps forehead) I give up**

Chapter 14

Epona's Song and…Noishe's Song?

Malon grabbed Link's arm and dragged him toward the horse fences. Link just stared as the horses ran all around the open field in the ranch.

"Wow, Malon they really run fast." Malon smiled at his reaction.

"Yeah Fairy Boy, they're the best animals ever. Come over here; I wanna show you my favorite horse out of all of them."

As Malon grabbed Link's arm again, she led Link to a small foal. Malon let go of Link and went to pet the little horse's nose. Malon turned back and smiled at Link.

"Her name is Epona. Isn't she cute Fairy Boy?" Link smiled and attempted to pet the horse.

"Wheenee!"

The horse backed away and ran to the other side of the open field. Link just sighed.

"I…guess the little horse doesn't like me." Malon gave Link a sad smile.

"Don't worry about it Link. She's very afraid of strangers." Link sighed again but then an idea came to his head.

"Malon, I bet Epona was afraid of you at one time. How did you get her to trust you?" Malon smiled.

"Oh that was easy Fairy Boy. I sing this song to calm Epona down. I've been singing it to her ever since she was born."

Link just stared at Malon as she sang one of the most beautiful tunes in the world. Navi flew out of his hit and whispered into Link's ear.

"Hey Link, remember that girl in Hyrule castle. You know…ZELDA!" Link immediately broke out of his trance and smiled shyly at Malon.

"That was very good Malon but…I can't really sing—wait." Link went into his pack and brought out his fairy ocarina. Malon's face lit up.

"Oh cute ocarina. How about I teach you my song."

_Hm hm hmmm, hm hm hmmm, hm hm hm hmmm hm._

Link surprisingly caught on very quickly. Malon was beaming at him.

"Great Link. I call that song, Epona's Song." Malon saw Epona approach from behind Link but he didn't notice. She giggled.

"And I think Epona really warmed up to you Fairy Boy."

"Wha—" Link couldn't finish his sentence. When Link turned around he was met by the long wet tongue of a small horse.

"Ahh! Ew, gross! Horse slobber!" Malon was on the ground. She was literally holding her sides because she was laughing so hard.

"I think Epona has grown very fond of you Fairy Boy."

* * *

Link watched as the sun started setting over the western horizon. He sighed. He had a very fun day today. Malon had showed him how to do many things such as milking the Lon Lon cows and how NOT to aggravate the Cucoos. But the best thing about today is that Link had learned how to ride Epona.

It was difficult at first and after falling off many times in the first hour, Link was starting to get the hang of it. It was a shame Kratos was nowhere to be found. Link wondered where he was.

Link was still riding when Malon looked at sun and sighed. "Alright Fairy Boy, we have to pack it in for the day."

"Aww man, I was starting to get good too." Link was disappointed but he saw how Epona was very tired from all the riding she did today. Link stepped down from Epona and ended up falling off again. Malon just giggled.

"You were getting good Fairy Boy." She walked over then winked. "But I'm still the best!"

After pulling Link up she too sighed. "Fairy Boy—no Link, this was the best day of my life." Link smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I did too, even though I'm going to be more bruised than the usual training sessions with Kratos tomorrow morning." Malon giggled.

"Thanks Fairy Boy." She blinked for a second. "Where's Kratos?"

Link stopped smiling and looked around. "He should still be training. I'm going to go look for him."

"There's no need Link, I am here." Kratos came walking up to him. Link looked surprised.

"Kratos! Where you training all afternoon?!" Kratos looked over to the horizon.

"Actually, I'm expecting a friend of mind to be here any moment. You do not mind Malon if we stay here for the night." Malon blinked but smiled.

"I don't mind but who's this friend of yours? Can he be trusted?" Kratos smiled.

"If you can feed him and provide him lodging, he will love you like a sister." Kratos walked away after that, leaving Link and Malon curious. Malon turned to Link.

"Do you know who is coming?" Link slowly shook his head.

"No, I've never seen any of his friends before. But the way he described his friend was a bit…odd." Link went back to staring at Kratos. "He's been acting very odd lately. Stopping one of your cows singlehanded and now this."

Link continued to stare. "Hmm, well if we are going to be staying here I guess we should ask your dad about dinner." Malon just laughed.

"Fairy Boy, my dad can't cook to save his life." She pointed to herself. "I'm the one that does the cooking around here!"

Link went wide eyed. "You do the cooking?! But your still a kid!" Malon shrugged.

"I don't mind really. It's better than eating dad's cooking. How about you talk to Kratos while I get dinner started. And don't worry about helping Fairy Boy, you two are my guests." Link opened his mouth to object to her offer but she walked away into the house.

"Hmm, well…I guess I can show Kratos the new song Malon taught me."

Link walked over to Kratos who was just watching the horses of the ranch run along the far open spaces. Link looked up to see Kratos in a sort of trance.

"Kratos, you feeling alright?" Kratos closed his eyes.

"My apologies Link. It has been a while since I've seen horses." Link tilted his head.

"Well if you say so…hey wanna hear the new song I learned!" Link got his Fairy Ocarina out.

"It is a cool song but it won't work properly since Epona is in the stables." Kratos looked confused.

"Who?" Link blinked.

"Huh, oh! Epona is the horse I rode today. By the way, I learned how to ride a horse today." Link smiled. "Well he's the song Malon taught me, Epona's Song."

Link closed his eyes and began playing. Kratos listened to the tune with his enhanced hearing. It was very relaxing.

Just then both of them heard a wolf's howl. Link looked confused. "That's weird, that didn't sound like a normal wolfos howl and it's not even night time yet." Link had no idea what that was but Kratos did. He chuckled.

"It would appear that my friend heard your song. He has very good hearing." Link looked even more confused.

"Huh, what are you—" Link didn't get to finish as he saw a very large creature running into the ranch right at them. Malon came out at around the same time to tell the boys that dinner was ready but froze when the creature blazed passed her.

Link got out his sword and shield to take the creature on. He got a good look at it as it got closer. It was definitely some kind of wolf though Link had never seen a wolf with green and white fur before.

Link got into his fighting stance. The wolf however did not slow done and Link saw it prepare its legs to pounce on him. Link stuck his shield out. The creature pounced but jumped straight over Link.

Link turned around and saw that the wolf creature pounced on Kratos.

"No! Kratos!" He ran straight at the wolf but stopped right next to it because of what he saw. It was…licking Kratos' face. Malon saw that the wolf was not attacking anyone and ran over to get a closer look.

Link stared at the creature. Seeing the wolf as no threat, Link sheathed his sword rubbed his back.

"Ah, Noishe! Get off me!" Kratos pushed the wolf off him and got up. The creature tilted his head. Kratos turned around to see Link, Navi, and Malon staring at him and the wolf. Navi was the first to speak up.

"Uh, Kratos…what is that?" Kratos sighed.

"This is my…wolf-dog. His name is Noishe and an old traveling companion of mine." Navi flew close to it and flew around the creature. Noishe gave out a small bark. Navi returned to Link.

"Weird, I've never seen a creature like this before. Where did you find him Kratos?" Kratos did not answer. Link stared at the 'wolf-dog' slightly nervous.

"Is it…safe?" Kratos nodded.

"He is very friendly. He turned to Malon. "I told you before, as long as you provide food and shelter for him, he will love you like a sister Malon. Come and pet him."

Although Link and Navi were hesitate about Noishe, Malon walked right up to it and scratched him right behind the ears. Noishe fell to the ground and Malon went from his ear to his belly.

"Aww, he's so cute Kratos!" Link stared at Malon and back to Noishe.

"How did he get here?" Kratos thought of an excuse.

"You brought him here Link." Link's eyes widened.

"What?"

"When you played Epona's song he heard it and came running here."

Malon got up from petting Noishe. "Well I like Noishe even more now that he likes the song I taught Link. I came out to get you two for dinner. So come on." Link stared at her as she went back in. Kratos glanced to Link.

"Go on ahead Link. I'll meet you in a second. I have a lot of catching up to do." Link raised an eyebrow.

"You're going to talk to a dog?"

"Please, you know dogs can't talk." Link shrugged but ran into Malon's house for food. Noishe turned to Kratos.

"**Wolf-dog?" **

Kratos stared at Noishe. "Well Protozoan's most likely do not exist here. They would think I'm crazy."

Noishe rolled his eyes. **"Kratos, I'm speaking to you through your mind, I think you're already crazy since 'dogs can't talk.'"** Kratos smiled.

"Anyway, it is good to see you my friend. You have a lot to hear; we only just begun our new adventure."

"**Great, I look forward to it."** Noishe said rather sarcastically.

**Me: Noishe joins the group. I made him able to talk to Kratos because he is an angel and having Noishe around without him being around would be boring.**

**Martel: Review?**


	15. Kakiriko Village

**Me: And I'm back with some Link's Teacher**

**Martel: Where were you?**

**Kratos: He's been with me planning the story about Yuan making the Renegades. It's called Outer Heaven.**

**Me: Yeah Martel, you should go read it. **

**Martel: (shrugs shoulders) ShadowV doesn't own LoZ or ToS. (goes off to read Outer Heaven)**

**Kratos: Let's see how Link and I are doing.**

Chapter 15

Kakiriko Village

After dinner with Malon, Kratos, Link, Navi, and now Noishe decided to spend the night at Lon Lon Ranch before heading out to their next destination the next day. Malon managed to convert the storage shed on the other side of the ranch into a single room for all of them to sleep.

Being as Kratos couldn't sleep, he politely declined Malon's offer and said he would sleep under the stars.

The morning after, Malon served the boys and the 'dog' breakfast of eggs and toast. This was after Kratos got Link up at five in the morning again for more training.

Needless to say, Link graciously accepted Malon's breakfast. Kratos managed to hear both Navi and Noishe's laughter when Link was served his food.

After breakfast, Kratos and Link were getting ready to leave. Although Malon knew they had to go, she hated to be separated from her first real friend in a long time.

Link waved to Malon. "Bye Malon!" Malon forced back some tears and waved back.

"Fairy boy, make sure you come back soon!"

"I will, see you later."

* * *

After leaving the Ranch, the group of four made their way to their next destination. The problem was…one person had no idea where they were going next.

"Kratos?" Kratos turned to Link.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Um, do you know where we're supposed to go next?" Kratos sighed.

"Impa told you just yesterday." Link rubbed his back uncomfortably.

"Yeah, about that. I…kinda, maybe…forgot." Navi flew out of Link's hat bopped his head.

"Link! You're destined to save the land of Hyrule. You can't always forget, where we're supposed to go." Link looked down, slightly ashamed.

"Sorry Navi. Sorry Kratos." Kratos shook his head.

"Think nothing of it Link. Though you're destined to save this land, you are still only human. It's natural that you make mistakes." Link looked up to Kratos and smiled.

"Thanks Kratos. So…can one of you tell me where we're going?"

"Remember Link. Our destination is Death Mountain, the one with the ring of smoke around it." Link nodded understandingly.

"Oh yeah! Sorry about forgetting about collecting the second Spiritual Stone. All of our training and meeting Noishe yesterday was pretty eventful. Say…"

"No Link!" Link eyes widened.

"Kratos! I didn't even finish talking."

"It doesn't matter. I already know what you're going to say. And the answer is still NO!" Navi flew over to Kratos.

"What was Link going to ask that you won't allow him to do?" Kratos tilted his head, making Navi look at Noishe.

"Link just learned how to ride horses yesterday. He just wants to ride Noishe all the way to Kakiriko village." When Link looked to Kratos, his eyes were very begging.

"Come on Kratos! Why can't I?" At this point Noishe mind spoke to Kratos.

"**Let him Kratos. I can assure you that this will be the last time he'll ask again." **Kratos gave off a subtle smile to the protozoan. He suddenly remembered the time Yuan wanted to ride Noishe for the first time when he first evolved.

After blazing through a banana stand, half of Asgard, and a large swamp…Yuan never wanted to ride Noishe again.

Kratos smirked. "Alright Link, you can ride Noishe." Link raised his eyebrows. "Really, Cool!" As he went to get on top of Noishe he narrowed his eyes at Kratos.

"Wait a minute. Before you didn't want me to ride Noishe. Now you do…what's the deal Kratos?"

Kratos looked at Link. "If you don't want to ride Noishe, then fine. Get off him then." Quickly Link weighed his options then waved his hands in front of Kratos.

"No no. I was just wondering, Goddesses." Kratos 'humphed.'

"Alright then. Noishe get ready to go on my command. Three…" Link turned to glance forward and stopped suddenly.

"Wait! Kratos! Noishe doesn't have any reins, how am I supposed to hold on?"

"Two…" Link started to panic.

"Kratos!"

"One…" Navi flew up to Link.

"Calm down Link. I mean…how fast can Kratos' dog go anyway?" **(insert my manically laughter here)**

"GO!!!" Noishe took off in a flash! Link would have been thrown off if he didn't hold onto Noishe's fur with his hands.

Kratos saw Noishe run like the wind. Being an Arshis, he was able to jog at 50mph**(80.5kph for my metric readers)**very easily. But Noishe could reach a top speed of 90mph**(145kph)**!

Navi whirled around and was fuming. "Kratos! Did you know that Noishe could go that fast?!"

Kratos closed his eyes. "I was aware that he could run that fast." Navi attempted to bop Kratos in the head but he swiftly side-stepped. Navi tried to bop Kratos again, but she stopped.

"Wait…how does a 'dog' run that fast anyway?!"

"…Let's get going Navi. Link's probably there already." Navi flew across to see him face to face.

"Kratos it takes three and a half hours to walk to Kakiriko village." Kratos looked over Navi.

"Judging by Noishe's top speed, minus Link's weight, he should be there about now. That's if Noishe didn't trip and crash into anything." This time Navi did bop Kratos in the head.

"You…you arrogant, purple…idiot! What if something has happened to Link?" Kratos got started walking toward Kakiriko.

"Then Link won't ask to ride Noishe again."

Navi was literally fuming at Kratos now till their arrival in Kakiriko.

* * *

Navi was wrong. It took four hours to walk to Kakiriko village and she wouldn't stop nagging him to "not do that to Link again" and "what if Link got hurt?" And how "she's supposed to be his guardian too throughout this journey."

Kratos and Navi entered the gate way to the village at around two in the afternoon. Kratos knew so because of the position of the sun and…a weird soldier that yelled out the time whenever anyone talked to him.

Navi flew to Kratos' face. "He's…a little…off, isn't he?" Kratos averted his eyes.

"Let's just keep walking, we need to find Link."

"Yeah mister: 'let's strap him aboard a shooting star and teach him a lesson!'" Kratos glared at the fairy and she took refuge atop Kratos' spiky hair.

While Kratos and Navi explored Kakiriko village he slowly took it in. The village itself was not too small but not really large. Many houses were being built at the time and it would take several years for them to actually be livable.

Kratos noticed that the men building the homes for in the village were not even working; they were all running around complaining about the work and their boss working them to hard.

'Hmph, try working for Mithos.'

Navi flew out of Kratos' hair and dingled. "Hey Kratos! There's a watchtower up there, maybe we could find Link if you climb it."

Kratos tilted his head. "Navi…you have wings. Couldn't you just…fly higher till you get a good view of the village."

There was silence. Navi's wings drooped after hearing what Kratos said. She sighed.

"Yeah…sorry, I forgot about that. Right I'll see you in a minute."

Navi flew up to get a good view of the entire village. After about a minute or so Navi returned to Kratos.

"Link's on the other side of the village. He's fine surprisingly." Navi hated admitting Kratos was right.

"Hmm…and Noishe?"

"Him too. Link's running around gathering…cuckoo's for some reason."

"Which way?" Navi dingled, directing Kratos north.

"Let's go." Kratos began walking, leaving the fairy floating. Navi was annoyed.

"You could have said thank you." She floated back to Kratos' hair.

After a few minutes of walking, Kratos found Link near a cuckoo pen. Navi was right, he was doing something with the chicken creatures. Kratos over heard the lady Link was speaking with.

"…thank you so much young man. Here, allow me to give you and your guardian food and lodging for the night." Link tilted his head.

"Guardian?" The cuckoo lady pointed behind Link and he saw Kratos and Navi.

"There you guys are! Kratos, I have a bone to pick with you."

Kratos tilted his head. "I trust you enjoyed your trip here did you?" Link marched right up to the angel and did his best to pull off Kratos' 'Aurion Glare.'

"I have eight words to say: That was the coolest thing I've ever done!!" Kratos face-palmed.

Navi flew into his face. "Ha! Serves you right for trying to disinterest Link into riding Noishe again."

Noishe walked up to the angel. **"Link seemed like he hated it until I stop accelerating. As soon as I heard him yell out of excitement, I knew your little plan was going to backfire."**

Link was jumping up and down. "Hey Kratos! When can I ride Noishe again? Tomorrow, Tonight, in an hour, now!?!"

Kratos gave a long sigh.

* * *

After getting dinner from the Cuckoo lady, Link wanted to explore the only part of the town he hadn't seen yet: the graveyard.

Because Link was a child raised with children who were basically immortal, Kratos suspected the boy had no concepts of death and cemeteries aside from the death of the Great Deku Tree.

Kratos, Link, and Navi entered the cemetery at sunset. As soon as they entered, a chill went up Link's spine.

"Hey…Kratos, why is it so…uncomfortable here?" Navi and Kratos looked at each other. They both sighed. Navi flew in front of Link.

"Link…this, is a graveyard. It's where people bury their dead." That silenced Link.

"Oh…of course." There was more uncomfortable silence. This time it was broken by Kratos.

"I sense lost spirits and damned souls nearby." Navi flew over to Kratos.

"Yes, those are Poes. They live by death for the rest of their afterlives." Link felt another chill at the base of his spine.

"Can they be killed?" Navi dingled.

"Yes…if you can face them and defeat them, they're souls will finally find peace."

Right after explaining this to Link, a Poe made himself known to the group. Navi circled it.

"Link! You can't hit when it's intangible. Wait till it's visible and then strike." Link nodded and put up his guard.

Kratos stood by on the side, watching Link fight. Though he was supposed to be seeing how good his skills were progressing, Kratos was very curious about being able to fight ghosts.

'Though I've seen Specter's and Phantasm's, these ghosts feel as if they're been…human once.'

Link was able to defeat the Poe easily, suffering only scratch on his arm. He smiled and turned to Kratos. "How'd I do?"

Kratos nodded approvingly. "Very good, considering you haven't seen this enemy before." Link punched the air.

"Yes—I mean, thank you. Come on let's go further in—aaahhh!!" Link wasn't paying attention and fell straight into a hole in the ground near one of the grave stones.

Kratos turned to Navi and she nodded. "I see if he's alright!" She flew into the hole.

After a minute or so Kratos was pacing back and forth in front of the hole. He was getting slightly worried.

'I hope Link's alright.' He got his answer when Navi came back out.

"Kratos, Link's fine, it's just…" Link cut her off as he climbed out of the hole with a smirk on his face and a metal shield on his back.

"Hey Kratos, look what I found." Kratos observed the metal shield on Link's back. The shield was made up of a shining magically metal. It was colored purple and had the insignia of the Triforce on the front of it.

Kratos sighed. "Link…try not to make a habit of robbing graves would you?" Navi giggled.

Link tried to equip his new shield. Big mistake. It was too big for Link to hold on his arm and he fell forward face first. Kratos walked up to him.

"Why don't you stick to your wooden shield for now?" Link attempted to get to his feet but only ended up rolling over.

"But it's shiny." Navi fell to ground; laughter making it impossible for her to fly.

* * *

After convincing the boy that he could not use the shield until he was older, the three of them found themselves in front of the largest gravestone in the grave yard.

Link turned to Kratos. "What does it say?" Kratos glance over to Link.

"I have to teach you how to read one of these days." Link just gave off a goofy grin. Kratos signed.

But before Kratos was able to read the large tombstone, a smaller one on the left shook and Poe came out.

But this one was different. It held not only a lantern, but a conductor?

After gawking at it, Link unsheathed his sword and quickly defeated it. It burnt itself out but part of it remained. Taking everyone by surprise, the Poe soul spoke.

"_GYAAAAH! YOU KILLED ME! UNBELIEVABLE! Huh, you're not one of Ganondorf's men?" _Link shook his head.

The Poe sighed. _"Sorry about attacking you then. Let me introduce myself. I am one of the composer brothers of Kakiriko village. I am Sharp. My brother and I were trying to find out how to control time with the use of melodies. We had finally found out the way to control time with music but Ganondorf was on to us." _Link clenched his fists.

Sharp continued. _"My brother and I died to protect the secret power of our melody. To find our secret, show your connection to the royal family near the tombstone."_ Sharp pointed to the tombstone.

Suddenly the smaller tombstone on the right shook and out came a similar Poe in blue.

"_You have earned brother's trust. I'll trust you all two. Inside you'll find the song to summon the sun…and the moon. Farewell!" _The two brothers disappeared.

Link had his hand to his chin. "Show your connection to the royal family…how?" Navi flew over to Link.

"The song Link! The one Princess Zelda taught you." Link blushed at the thought of Zelda.

"R-right! Here I go." Link brought out his fairy ocarina and played Zelda's Lullaby. For a moment nothing happened.

Link looked defeated. "It didn't work." Suddenly Kratos felt enormous energy coming.

"GET DOWN LINK!" Link covered his head as a bolt of lightning struck the tombstone, shattering it to bits.

**Me: That's good.**

**Kratos: Please review.**


	16. Redeads

**Me: Ugh!**

**Martel: (walks in room) What's up with you?**

**Me: School started again. I have Spanish this term**

**Martel: Oh, well…you'll do fine. You're a smart guy.**

**Me: (smirks) I am aren't I.**

**Martel: Overconfidence breeds carelessness. ShadowV doesn't own LoZ or ToS**

Chapter 16

Redeads

Kratos, his body around Link, protecting him from the blast looked back to the tombstone a minute after the lightning strike. Unwrapping his arms he slowly walked to another hole in the ground where the tombstone was before being destroyed.

Link got up and walked over to stand next to Kratos, investigating the hole in the ground.

"…Man, did I do this…with Zelda's Lullaby?" Navi flew out of Link's hat.

"I think so Link…so what do we do now?" Without a moment's hesitation, Link jumped right down into the hole in the ground.

Navi panicked. "LINK!! What are you doing!?!" Kratos turned to the blue fairy.

"Link is just following the instructions of Sharp and Flat. He is searching for their sun and moon summoning song." Just with Link, Kratos took a more refined leap and fell into the hole in the ground.

Navi, out all alone in the graveyard sighed, her wings drooping.

"…Can't believe I'm doing this." Closing her eyes, she took a mid-air dive into the hole, leading to who knows what.

* * *

Down the hole Kratos went. He landed on his feet on the cavern floor. Dusting himself off Kratos took a look around. There was a narrow passage way that led to a larger room.

"Link? Are you there?"

Silence. Link did not respond if he was there.

Kratos got out his sword just as Navi flew down to meet him.

"Don't you dare do that again without letting me know! Next time I'll—

"Shh! Quiet. I can't find Link and I'm getting this…cold feeling running down my spine. Something…horrible is down here."

Navi shutted up quickly and flew ahead of Kratos.

"I'll provide some light, let's just find Link."

Kratos nodded and without making any noise silently followed the fairy.

Entering the main room of the underground grave, Navi visibly shuddered while Kratos' face remained unchanged. All around the two of them were bones. As Kratos looked around, Navi floated closer to Kratos, shocked and terrified.

"I've…I've never seen so much…skeletons." Kratos looked at her and placed her on his head."

"Let's move on. We have to find Link." The fairy gave a short nod and tried to relax her body on Kratos' head.

Looking around Kratos noticed something very wrong about the skeletons. One: they were just…scattered around; not even buried in graves. And two, Kratos noticed that the bones looked like they had been…chewed on. This thought would have paralyzed most into a constant state of utter fear, but Kratos had seen much worse in his long life. Nevertheless, Kratos still felt fear. Not for himself, but for Link.

Kratos suddenly stopped moving. "Navi. Go to the upper left corner of the room." Navi flew off his head and fearfully flew over.

When she got there, she let out a frightened moan. In the corner was Link, hugging his knees and slightly trembling. Kratos walked over to Link and pulled him to his feet.

"Are you alright?" Link didn't answer. Instead he stared straight into Kratos' eyes.

"Why do I feel so…horrible here?" Navi bit her lip.

"Link…this is what a grave is. Those white bones…they're…the remains of those who have passed on." Link turned to Navi.

"You mentioned that the graves here said…'rest in peace,' right?" Navi nodded.

Link walked over to the remains of one person. "Then why does it look like these…people look scared Navi?"

_!!_

Link, along with Kratos and Navi turned to a door that led further into the grave chamber. Link was trembling more violently now.

"…What was that?!" Kratos sighed.

"We'll soon find out. Come on." Kratos started walking towards the door but Link grabbed his arm.

"Let go Link." Link shook his head violently.

"No! Kratos, I-I…can't…go in there!" Kratos turned to Link.

"You must Link. You are Hyrule's chosen Hero." Link slumped down to the floor.

"But…I'm just one kid. I-I can't do this!" Kratos crouched down on his knees, facing Link.

"This is a test Link. A test of your bravery. Do you know what you have to do to pass this test?" Link shook his head.

"Ask yourself: what compels you to keep going? What are you fighting for?" Link looked up at Kratos, wiping tears from his eyes.

"I don't know…the freedom of Hyrule?" Kratos shook his head.

"No, that's not it. Isn't there someone in your life that gives you the strength to keep going?" Link fidgeted.

"Well…there's…Zelda." Link said. Kratos smiled.

"Well there's your strength to be brave, let's go." Link's eyes widened.

"Wait, wait. Is that all there is to it?"

"Yes Link. And I have faith in you Link. Besides, I'll be right beside you in there."

"…I…thanks Kratos." Link turned to face the door. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Slowly the door rose from the ground giving all three of them a view of the room. Inside, Kratos saw greenish water that was giving off a fumy smell and the source of the moaning.

Zombies.

Kratos grabbed Link's shoulders to keep him from moving. Kratos turned to Navi, who was clutching his shoulder like her life depended on it.

"I know this will be hard but…I need any information you can give me on these...things." Navi looked up at Kratos and nodded.

She left his shoulder and flew to the nearest zombie. After circling it a couple of times she returned.

"Guys…those are Redeads. Corpses that were brought back to life by dark magic. They feed on…people and the remains…of people."

Link turned to Kratos. "That explains the bones in the other room." Kratos nodded.

Navi continued. "These things have a lot of stamina, I recommend not fighting close up because…its scream will paralysis you. While you can't move…it will latch onto you and start to…feed."

"Link. Get out your slingshot." Link jumped for second.

"What?"

"It's too dangerous to fight them all." Kratos took a look around the room for second. "I want you to shoot the one to the left. After…it falls we will sidle around to the other side of the room. The left wall is the safest right now."

Link nodded. Slowly getting out his slingshot he took aim.

_Smack!_

_Rrrooaah!_

The Redead turned around and Kratos' eyes widened.

"New plan Link…cover your ears and…RUN!!" Kratos picked up Link and ran around the Redead that saw Link hit him.

After passing him, Kratos noticed two more in the middle of the room. "This way. To the left!" Kratos ran left of the two Redeads and was able to get to the end of the room.

"Come on. We're almost—

_!!_

Kratos stopped dead, unable to move. Link stared at him. "Come on Kratos!"

"Go…I'll be fine. Get that song." Link stared at Kratos.

"But I can't just—

"NOW!!" Link gasped and ran into the other room, closing the door behind him.

Kratos cursed his luck. Because of his sensitive hearing, the Redead's scream was paralyzing him for longer than it should. Slowly the Redead's were getting closer. Kratos felt a little feeling return to his arms.

Just as the zombie's jaws were inches away from his neck, Kratos reached for Flameberg and sliced off the zombie's head. Its body feel to the ground, dead.

Two Redead's close to their fallen comrade signaled for the others to come and feast on the fresh meat that came to their domain. Kratos readied his stance.

_Double Demon Fang!_

The two shock waves hit two of the zombie's legs but did not stop them. Kratos knew that that simple attack wouldn't hurt them, he just used it as a distraction. Leaping from his spot, he was able to slice off two more heads because of the Redead's distraction of the energy waves.

_!!_

Kratos was frozen in mid-sword strike position. After the roar from one of the Redead's, six hands came straight out of the ground. The soil gave way to three more Redead's heading straight to Kratos. And because of his shocked state, the angel could not run away.

Just as the one of the Redead's hands were prodding his face, Kratos heard an unfamiliar melody of Link's ocarina. The hand that was tearing Kratos' face with its long decomposing fingernails suddenly frozen in place and Kratos was free to move again.

Kratos slowly got out of the way of the Redead's and observed them. All of them were frozen in place. Kratos took this opportunity to take care of them while they could not move.

"Kratos, look!" Kratos turned around to see Link and Navi running into the room with the fumy green liquid.

Link suddenly stopped when he saw Kratos' face. "Kratos! Are you alright?"

Kratos placed his hand on his face and smoothly ran it along is face. Taking his hand away, he deduced that he had two or three large cuts from the blood on his hands from one of the Redead's.

"I'll be fine. Did you play that new song?" Navi flew up to Kratos' face.

"What do you mean 'you'll be fine,' your face…what happened?" Kratos pointed to the dead, Redead**(okay, so now the redead's are dead, brought back to life and now dead again. Just throwing this out there)**.

"One of them had his hands on my face." Link and Navi winced after hearing this. Navi flew to the exit of the room.

"Well come on guys. Kratos needs a healing fairy so let's go." Kratos tilted his head at the sound of a 'healing fairy.'

"Um, Kratos?" Kratos turned to Link.

"Yes, what is it?" Link bit his lip.

"I…well, I wanted to say…thank you, for…believing in me." Link smiled and Kratos smirked.

"You're welcome Link. Now let's get out of here."

They both started walking towards the exit of the grave. While walking, Link suddenly perked up.

"Oh Kratos, I forgot to tell you. Navi and I found the song in the next room. It's called the 'Sun's Song.'"

"Hmm, good thing too, otherwise I would have been eaten by those Redead's." At the sound of Redead's, Link clamed up.

"I just hope we won't have to face those monsters again." They got to the exit and Link slowly climbed up and out of the grave. Kratos sighed.

"Me too Link." He then started to climb out as well.

* * *

After the three of them climbed out of the grave, Kratos then realized another power of the sun's song: time travel. Just as Sharp and Flat had said, the song has the power to summon the sun or the moon. The song did so after Link had played it underneath the royal grave.

The three entered the grave at around sunset. When they emerged from the grave, the sun was already rising. After hearing much complaining from Link from a lack of a good night sleep, Kratos allowed all of them a day off to rest, by allowing Link to play the song again to head to sunset for a good night sleep.

* * *

The morning after, Kratos, while pretending to sleep, noticed Link trying to tiptoe to his pack. After getting out his ocarina, Kratos let himself known to Link.

"Don't even think about it Link." Link jumped at the sound of Kratos' voice.

"Wha…huh, I wasn't doing anything." Kratos got up from his bed at the Kakiriko village inn.

"Time traveling is not a toy. You are to use that song responsibly." Kratos got up and took Link's ocarina.

"Hey!"

"Until you have good responsibility, I'll be holding on to this." Link pouted.

"You're no fun."

Kratos walked out of the inn while Navi was with Link eating breakfast. He made his way to the Cuckoo Lady's pen where Noishe was waiting for him.

"Will be heading up the mountain after Link is done eating. I trust that you'll be able to behave yourself while we're gone." Noishe snorted.

"**Man, you're no fun. I'm not afraid of monsters anymore. Can I come, please?"**

Kratos smirked. "Noishe, we are heading towards rocky terrain and an active volcano. You'll tear up your feet trying to walk and last I check, you can't fly…anymore."

"**Just you wait. When I evolve again, I'll gain back that precious ability."**

Kratos took his leave. "Well, wait until then. According to the time, you don't have that long of a wait."

As Kratos walked back to the inn, he saw Link and Navi waiting for him. Navi flew up to Kratos.

"What were you doing?" She landed on his head and Kratos and Link started walking.

"Saying goodbye to Noishe. Thanks to your good deeds Link, Noishe is welcome to stay with the Cuckoo Lady anytime." Link smiled.

"Thanks Kratos…what happened to your face?" Kratos stopped for second, but then continued moving.

"A local healer used her power to seal my wounds. I thanked her for it." Link and Navi stared at Kratos but Link shrugged it off. Navi didn't though.

"A local healer, huh. Funny, I didn't know people could use…magic like that."

Kratos said nothing as they made their way to Death Mountain.

**Me: That's good for now**

**Martel: Please review.**


	17. Death Mountain and Sandwiches?

**Me: And I'm back!**

**Martel: So, how was your first week of school?**

**Me: It was alright. Most of my teachers are pretty cool. I like my history teacher the best. He makes the subject very interesting. And it's a good thing, since I'm a history major.**

**Martel: ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ.**

Chapter 17

Death Mountain and Sandwiches?

"Sorry. No one is allowed up Death Mountain without permission from the Royal family."

Link grimaced at first but suddenly remembered Zelda's letter. He turned to Kratos to ask about it, but Kratos had the letter out already.

Link took the letter and presented it to the royal knight guarding the gate to Death Mountain. The guard read the letter out loud.

_This is Link. He is under my orders to save Hyrule._

_Sincerely,_

_Princess Zelda_

The guard erupted into fits of laughter.

"You, a kid, is going to save Hyrule. Nice trick but I'm not letting a kid go through the gate with a forged letter!"

Kratos simply smiled. "Keep reading."

Under his helmet, the guard raised his eyebrows but kept reading.

_P.S. The man with Link is Kratos Aurion. If you won't let Link through, you'll have to answer to him._

The royal guard slowly raised his eyes to look at the swordsman with Link. Without another word, he stomped his spear into the ground and the gates opened.

Link's face lit up.

"Cool! Let's go Kratos!" Link ran out and onto the mountain trail.

Kratos slowly followed behind Link. Navi flew up to meet Kratos.

"I don't think Link has any experience trekking up mountains, does he?" Navi shook her head.

"Nope. And he's about to pay the price for just sprinting up the trail.

* * *

Kratos and Navi walked at a steady pace up the rocky mountain trail. Navi looked around frantically.

"Where is Link? Goddesses, that boy is always goes ahead without thinking anything through!"

"Link will be fine. You shouldn't worry about him too much." Navi flew up to Kratos' face.

"I don't worry too much! Here I am trying to protect Hyrule's last hope for peace and you're letting him do whatever he wants!" Navi was panting now, speaking her mind to Kratos.

Kratos closed his eyes. "I will admit that I've been a little lenient with Link but I'm doing this for his own good." Navi narrowed her eyes.

"How so?"

Kratos turned to his eyes and faced her. "I'm making Link learn from experience. I am deliberately having Link make his own decisions so he can learn from the mistakes he makes on the way."

"B-but…would if Link gets hurt!?!"

"That is why I am training Link every day. I have to prepare him for any future hardships ahead." After Kratos was done talking they came across Link with his back against the mountain on the trail.

Navi turned frantic. "See! Look what happens when you let him act without guidance!"

"Navi."

"I mean, look at him! His face is all red and his breathing is labored."

"Navi." Kratos said, a bit louder.

"Is this the way you would treat your own children Kratos!?"

"Navi!" Kratos yelled, in both annoyness and anger.

"What Kratos!?!"

"Take a closer look at Link."

"Fine Kratos!" She flew over to Link. I'll show you that he's—"

"Link is perfectly fine. He's just out of breath from trying to run up a mountain where he over-exhorted himself from the thinner air and the stress he put his legs through."

Navi kept glancing to Kratos and to Link for about a minute. Finally she sighed.

"Fine Kratos. Next time I won't help Link. And then when you're wrong, I'll be there to say I told you so!" Kratos simply raised an eyebrow.

"So, what you're saying is…you want me to be wrong one of these days."

"Exactly!"

"Then, if I'm wrong…what would happen to Link?" Navi's eyes suddenly widened.

"Um…I…eh…just shut up!" Navi ended the conversation by flying over to Link as he started to get up.

Kratos eyed Link. "What have we learned?" Link rolled his eyes.

"That running up a mountain…is not the best idea." Kratos smirked.

"Good answer. Let us keep walking."

The group started to walk again, up Death Mountain. Kratos was able to hear the tiny noise of Navi pouting under Link's hat.

* * *

After about an hour of walking and begging from Link, Kratos sighed and let the group stop for lunch on a level base of the mountain trail. Link was so intent on eating, that he laid on his stomach and watch Kratos cook lunch. It was at this time that Link finally noticed something…different about Kratos that separated him from most travelers.

His wingpack.

"Hey Kratos, what's that?" When Link pointed to Kratos' wingpack, he froze.

"Link. This is…similar to your traveling pack, albeit slightly more compact. This is where I store my things while I travel."

Link, as well as Navi, were absolutely astonished when Kratos pulled out a cooking table, a couple of knives, and food ingredients consisting of rolls, sliced **chicken(or Cuckoo)**breast, Lon Lon Ranch cheese, and Tethe'allan mustard and mayo**(I have a feeling mustard and mayo doesn't exist in Hyrule)**.

Link was wide eyed. "Wow! What's for lunch?" Kratos raised an eyebrow.

"Just simple sandwichs. Pay attention Link. This is part of your training." At this, Link's face fell.

"What! How is lunch part of sword training?" Kratos talked while he made two sandwichs.

"A swordsman must survive in the most difficult of environments." Kratos took a knive and spread mayo and mustard on each roll.

Link just watched. "So?"

Kratos put on three or four slices of chicken on his sandwich. "So, you have to learn how to fend for yourself. That comes down to eating and drinking. And learning to cook is apart of this." Kratos added three slices of cheese on his sandwich and put the other roll on to finish.

"Cool, thanks!" Kratos reached for his butter knife and pointed it at Link. Link froze, scared stiff to the point that he couldn't say anything.

Slowly, Kratos reached for the sandwich while holding his knife up. "One more survival skill Link." To emphases his point, he jerked his knife closer and closer to Link's throat with every other word.

"Never. Ever. Take another man's food." Kratos put the knife down.

Link started to nod his head. "Okay."

"Now if you're hungry, you're going to have to make your own sandwich. Can you do that?" Link smirked.

"Yeah, it doesn't look that hard."

"Very well. You watched me make it, let's see how well you remember."

It took Link significantly longer to make his own lunch, but it was expected. Link was able to complete his sandwich, however he finished differently.

"You didn't use any mustard or mayo?" Link fidgeted.

"Well no…because that stuff looked…gunky. Is it a problem?" Kratos smiled.

"No, as long as you like it, its fine."

"Um, excuse me." Link and Kratos turned to see a rather large rock like creature near them. It was taller than Link but shorter than Kratos. It's color matched the mountain path very well.

"Yes, what do you need?" Link asked.

"Yes, well…I'm a Goron, a resident of Goron city not too far up from here. Would you kind people happened to have any Dodongo Cave rocks on you?"

Kratos and Link just exchanged glances. Kratos took this opportunity to speak up.

"What would you need these rocks for if you don't mind me asking?" The Goron glanced up to Kratos.

"The rocks in there are the most delectable rocks in the world. You see…my tribe is starving from a shortage of rocks and a boulder has blocked us from entering the Cavern." Link raised his eyebrows.

"Why can't you just eat any other rocks?" This, the Goron took offense to.

"Eat ordinary rocks!?! Why would we do such a thing?" Link looked down.

"I'm sorry." The Goron shook his head.

"No, I must apologize. I haven't eaten in two days and the hugar is making me very irritable." Link smiled.

"How about we help you guys. We'll take care of the boulder in front of the cavern." The Goron was in shock.

"You would do that! Oh, thank you! Come let us go to Big Brother. He will give you any help he can." The Goron pulled on Link's arm in the direction of the city.

Kratos picked up both sandwichs from the table and pressed a button on his wingpack sending everything out back in. "Link wait! You're going to have to eat to keep up your strength."

Link shook his head. He turned to the Goron. "You go on, we'll catch up." The Goron bowed and rolled off towards the city." Kratos couldn't help but stare.

"Interesting creatures." He turned back to Link. "You have to eat if we're going to solve their problem." Link sighed and gave in. He took one bite and his face lit up.

"This is great Kratos! Although, it's a little dry." Kratos smiled.

"That's what the gunky stuff is for."

* * *

The three of found Goron city a half an hour after seeing one of the resident Gorons. On the way, Link offered some of his sandwich to Navi to see what she thought of it.

She didn't say much about, she was most likely still mad at Kratos for earlier.

Kratos was amazed by the Goron City. A complex set of passage ways inside one giant cave embedded right into the volcano. Kratos also noticed a low melody when he first entered the city. He looked around and saw that no one took notice so he kept what he heard to himself.

Kratos also foresaw another problem when they entered the city.

All the Gorons looked the same.

It would be impossible for even Kratos to find the one they met early.

"Ah, you humans. I see you made it here."

'Well, that solves that problem.' Kratos thought. He turned to see Link run over to the Goron.

"So, did you speak with Big…Brother was it?" The Goron's smiled disappeared and he shook his head.

"Big Brother barricaded himself in his quarters; he refuses to speak to anyone. He'll only speak to a member of the Royal family."

Link raised his eyebrows but smiled. "Don't worry. I got that covered. Come on Kratos!" Link ran off.

"Link!" Kratos yelled, his voice echoing in the cave. Link ran back to Kratos.

"Do you know where Big Brother's chamber is?"

Silence.

Kratos sighed and turned to the Goron. "May I ask where Big Brother's room is?" The Goron pointed down.

"Big Brother's down there. Lowest most chamber on the far side." Kratos nodded his head.

"Thank you."

The three of them headed down one of the passage ways of the huge Goron City, ending up on the bottom most floor with a spinning statue.

Link eyed it with curiosity. "How does it do that Navi?" Link turned to her.

Navi shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." She slowly turned to Kratos, still a little annoyed by him.

Kratos just raised his eyebrows. "I have no idea. However it may be best that we don't know." Link and Navi looked at each other, silently agreeing.

They reached a stone doorway. Kratos put his hand on it and knock on it. He turned Link. "The stone is at least a foot thick. This is a very sturdy door."

"Well, it's not like I'm going to blow it up. We just need to find the Triforce emblem on the ground so I can play Zelda's Lullaby." Link looked down and sighed.

"Where is it?" Kratos looked on the ground and caught a glimpse of gold.

"Hmm…" With his hand, he brushed a bit of dirt away and saw the top part of the gold triangle.

"Link, help me out." Link looked down and saw the part of the Triforce.

"You found it!" Link's face lit up.

"Yeah, help me brush the dirt away." Link nodded and brushed most of the remaining dirt away, giving a complete view of the golden triangle.

"Wow, it looks just like the one in front of the Royal grave stone." Navi flew up to Link.

"Maybe that's what we're supposed to do every time we find one. Now Link, play Zelda's Lullaby!" Link smiled and reached for his ocarina. He sighed.

"Kratos…if you would please."

"Hmm…" Kratos pressed one of the buttons on his wingpack, causing Link's ocarina to be ejecting out. Unfortunately, it managed to hit Navi.

Kratos' eyes widened. "I-I apologize Navi. I didn't see you—Navi?" Kratos didn't see Navi anywhere when Link picked up the ocarina.

Kratos sighed. "She's going to hate me for this but…" He turned to Link. "Link, I want you to put all your fingers on all but one hole. Then, blow as hard as you can**(shut up perverts)**." Link's face got serious and he nodded.

Link covered all of the holes except for one. Taking a deep breath, he blew as hard as he could.

_!!_

Navi came flying out of the ocarina looking dazed and confused. Link let her fall into his hand.

"Navi! Are you alright?"

"What!"

"Navi, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!" Navi glanced over to Kratos and back to Link.

"…Peachy. Just play the song, I'll be inside your hat, trying to recover from the ringing in my ears."

Link shrugged his shoulders and played Zelda's Lullaby. The soothing lullaby echoed throughout the city as Link played it.

After he was finished, the door in front of them opened. Kratos and Link walked into the chamber room and saw a very large Goron with brownish hair that looked colored by the earth. He was in a very bad mood when his eyes came across to Link.

"What the hell? Who are you two?" Link gulped. This guy was at least three times his size.

"Um, mister—" Darunia paid no mind to Link and went back to talking.

"I was expecting a member of the Royal family to be coming but you're just a little kid." He turned to Kratos. "You, however look like you're a member of royalty. Are you the messenger?"

"No." He pointed to Link. "He is. He was the one that played the song." Link turned to see Kratos.

"What are you doing!?!" Darunia sighed and walked up the giant statue behind him.

"Has Darunia, the Big Boss of the Gorons really lost so much status with his Sworn Brother the King?" Kratos tilted his head.

"Big Boss…hmm…" Link turned to Kratos.

"What is it?" Kratos shook his head.

"It's nothing." They both turned back to see the Goron about to go into a fit of rage.

"Get out of my chamber! I have too much stress as it is and I won't deal with you two."

Darunia shoved both of them to ground, out of the chamber.

Link slowly got to his feet as Kratos merely dusted himself off. He then heard that strange melody again. It sounded so soothing to him that Kratos' body was involuntarily walking towards it while Link took no notice.

"That wasn't fun. Hey Kratos, how would you—Kratos?" Link saw Kratos walking towards a long tunnel, blocked by several boulders. Link slowly followed Kratos.

"Hey Kratos, are you alright?" Kratos didn't answer. Instead he looked around the tunnel, trying to find something.

One of the Goron's that was curled up in the hallway, got up and laughed at Kratos.

"Human…if you want to get through here, just use the Goron's special crop." The Goron said pointing to a large round flower. "However, they're rooted deep. Only Goron's are strong enough to pluck them." Kratos looked at the flower and raised his eyebrows. 'I am stronger than most humans.'

He reached for the plant and pulled very hard. The Goron was laughing…but not for long.

Kratos was able to pick up the plant and its fuse lit up. The Goron's eyes widened in shock and panic.

"QUICK…THROW IT NEAR THE ROCKS!!" Kratos tossed the 'bomb flower' towards the rocks and silently waited.

_KABOOOOOM!_

**Me: I promised someone that this would be longer but I decided to stop here. You know who you are…coughhappyameteurcough**

**Martel: Review?**


	18. Sacred Forest and Dodongo's Cavern

**Me: I'm back!**

**Martel: You really have no life…do you?**

**Me: …SO!**

**Martel: Anyway, ShadowV does own ToS or LoZ**

**Me: Onto the next chapter**

Chapter 18

Sacred Forest and Dodongo Cavern

_KABOOOOM!!_

Link coughed after inhaling a little dust from the explosion. Once it cleared, he saw Kratos walking towards a long, dark tunnel.

"Kratos, wait! Where are you going?!" Kratos didn't answer. His body didn't even react to Link's voice. He just kept walking farther into the dark tunnel.

Link sighed and turned to the still shocked Goron. "Thank you for telling us about the…bomb flower. I gotta go catch up to my friend."

Link ran off to catch up to Kratos while leaving the Goron scratching his head.

"That Kratos…he's too strong for a human. No human has been able to pluck a bomb flower from the ground without a power bracelet."

* * *

"Kratos."

Silence. Kratos kept walking forward through the dark tunnel.

"Kratos!"

More silence. Kratos kept walking as if he was in a trance.

Now Link was annoyed.

"KRATOS!!"

Kratos' eyes widened. He turned to Link with a rather confused look on his face.

"Wha?" Kratos turned to observe the surroundings of the tunnel. "Where are we Link?"

"Where are we Link?" Link said mockingly. "I've been following you through this tunnel. What were YOU doing?!"

Kratos closed his eyes. "I apologize Link. The last thing I remember was following the sound of a mysterious melody. Wait, it has gotten louder from the last time I heard about it. Where are we Link?"

"Um, well…we were in the Goron City, but we've been walking down this long hallway for so long I doubt we are still there anymore." Link closed his eyes.

"Come to think of it, I hear a soft melody as well. And here I thought you were crazy Kratos." Link smiled at Kratos while he just glared at him. Link quickly wiped the smile from his face.

Kratos sighed. "Let us keep walking. It seems as if we're…supposed to be walking down this tunnel."

Just after five minutes of saying that, Kratos and Link came to the exit of the tunnel. Link was ecstatic.

"Yay! Light! Sweet light, I never thought I'd miss you so much!"

"Link!" Link turned to face Kratos. Kratos facial expression said it all. Link pouted.

"I wasn't going to run off ahead again!"

"…" Kratos said nothing.

Kratos took the lead as they exited the tunnel. Both of their eyes widened as they took in their surroundings.

"This is…" Kratos began.

"Wow…who knew this tunnel was connected to the Lost Woods." Kratos turned to Link.

"Lost Woods?"

"Yeah, the Lost Woods is the forest that surrounds the Kokiri Village. Normally the Kokiri never set foot in the woods." Link's face brightened up.

"But, Saria had a secret spot in the woods where she would play her ocarina."

"Hmm…Link, do you think Saria is there now, playing her ocarina?" Link shrugged.

"I don't know—wait. If she was playing her song, I would be able to hear it." Link closed his eyes and concentrated on what he was trying to hear.

Seconds spanned into minutes, until Link opened his eyes.

"Kratos…she is here. Maybe that's why you heard her song. She was probably calling you."

"Hmm…maybe. Well if you've been to her secret spot before, lead the way Link."

Link paused. "Wait. You want me…to lead." Kratos nodded.

"Of course. If you've been to this spot before; it should be no problem for you to find it. And this will give you the strength to lead later on."

Link smiled and pumped his fist into the air. "You can count on me!"

* * *

To say Kratos was impressed was an understatement. Link truly knew the Lost Woods like the back of his hand. Kratos was a little worried when he asked Link to lead as they went through the forest because the majority of the forest was one gigantic maze.

But Link was able to easily navigate through. Link smiled when they reached the end of the forest maze.

"We're almost there. Saria's hangout is just beyond the little maze up ahead." But as Link turned around to walk forward, he frowned.

"Huh. That gate wasn't here before. What is going on—Aaahh!"

_Whhhhhhoooooooo!_

Out of the tall grass came a gigantic wolf monster that slowly circled around the two of them. Link got out his sword and shield and eyed the monster down.

"This isn't right. Saria's hangout is a sanctuary. And Wolfos don't even live near this part of the forest."

"Link, let's figure out why this monster is here later. Right now, stay on your guard." Link gave a serious nod to Kratos but kept his eyes on the Wolfos.

It lunged at Link but he was able to sidestep to left. Link let loose a stab at the Wolfos but he was able to shield himself with his thick frontal paws.

It was at this point that Navi came out of his hat. Link smiled at the fairy's return.

"Quick Navi! Could you tell me how to beat this guy?" She gave a quick nod.

"You got it!" She flew over and encircled the wolf and quickly returned back.

"You'll never be able to beat it head to head. Roll around to the back, that's its weak point." Link gave a quick nod and turned to Kratos.

"Kratos, can you keep the monster's attention while I go around and strike behind it."

Kratos gave a quick nod and drew his Flameberg. He was very impressed with Link's handling of the situation. The early morning training sessions were finally paying off.

He would make sure to let Link handle this. He would only help him if he truly needed it. He got the Wolfos attention and the creature lunged for Kratos this time leaving its back unprotected for Link to strike at.

Link smiled and did a quick roll, appearing directly behind it.

_Slice! Stab! Stab!_

The Wolfos fell to the ground, weaken. Link knew it would regain its strength soon so he decided to end it. With his Kokiri sword in hand, he pointed it downwards and leapt straight at the down Wolfos.

_STAB!_

Link had leapt in the air, and stabbed the Wolfos in the heart, finally killing it. Kratos raised his eyebrows as Link removed his sword from its body.

"That's not something I taught you." Link looked up at Kratos while cleaning his blade.

"Huh, oh yeah. Well, it's a move I made up against stronger than average enemies. Once I stun them and they're on the ground, I leap and use my own gravity to defeat them quicker. I call it: The Ending Blow!" Link did an overly dramtic pose.

"Hmm…just be careful Link. Using a move you made up without perfecting it could get you killed in battle."

"I-I-alright." Link suddenly turned behind himself to see the metal gate evaporate before them.

Kratos observed it as well. "Hmm…it appears we can now proceed."

"Eh…yeah. Let's go."

The two of them spent the next ten minutes navigating an actual maze that was filled with giant Deku enemies. Not too hard for Link, considering he already faced some inside the Great Deku Tree. Finally they reached a large staircase leading up to a giant stone insignia of the Triforce. Next to it, was a stump with a green haired Kokiri girl playing her ocarina.

"Saria!" Link shouted as he ran over to his childhood friend. She stopped playing her ocarina and smiled at Link.

"Link, I'm so glad you could come. And Kratos as well." She smiled at him but he only nodded. Link was just happy to see his friend again.

"Saria, were you the one playing the ocarina?" Kratos asked. She gave a quick nod.

"That's right; I wanted to speak to Link, actually." She turned to Link.

"Link, I feel that this place will be very important to us someday. I want to be able to help you however I can while you're on your adventure."

Kratos stood to the side as Link and Saria played their ocarinas respectively. She was able teach Link another song; Saria's Song. He overheard Saria explain that the power of this song gave the person the ability to speak with the forest itself. She also said that Link could speak to her anytime he wanted if he needed her advice.

The song also had a nice beat to it. Kratos caught himself involuntaryingly tapping his feet to the song. He made sure no one saw him doing that though.

* * *

"Hey Kratos. Doesn't Saria's Song have a nice beat to it?" Link asked Kratos while they were walking.

"…No." Kratos simply stated.

Link pouted. "Aww, come on. You know it does. Watch." Link closed his eyes and played the song.

However unknown to Kratos and Link, a Skullkid watched Link play the song and started dancing to it.

"Heheheh, what a nice song."

* * *

Kratos and Link walked all the way back to the Goron City with Link playing Saria's Song along the way. It seemed that the tunnel had gotten longer the second time through as Kratos had to listen to Link play the song over and over again.

Now, Kratos is a very patient man.

Link continued to play Saria's Song.

It would take more than a song to make him explode.

Link was still playing Saria's Song.

Yet, his more than 4000 years of patience was suddenly fading away.

"LINK!!" Link did not answer. He did not even look at Kratos. He had even stopped playing.

"Link?" Kratos walked up to him and waved his hand in front of his face. Link merely trembled as he pointed to what he was staring at in front of him. Very quietly, he whispered.

"It's Darunia." Kratos faced forward to see the very Goron standing in front of them. The only weird thing was…he didn't seem angry anymore.

Darunia narrowed his eyes at Link. "Well human. Don't stop, keep playing." Link looked down at his ocarina in confusion, then to Kratos. Kratos nodded to Link, silently telling him to do it.

Link shrugged his shoulders and played Saria's Song for Darunia.

Then Kratos saw something he will never forget. And BOY, he thought the way Mithos danced was disturbing.

The Big Boss of the Gorons danced very well to the beat of the song that Link played.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!.........Come on!........Come on!"

Kratos started to slowly back away. Unfortunately, Link did not notice the Goron's…unique dance moves because the boy kept his eyes closed while playing the song.

"HOT!.......OH WHAT A HOT BEAT!!........WHOOOOOOAH!!!..........YYYEEAAAAHHH!"

Kratos was very relieved when the song finished. The Big Boss of the Gorons, Darunia beamed at the two of them.

"What a nice tune. My depression has lifted and suddenly wanted to dance like crazy."

Link rubbed his back. "I'm glad I could help." Darunia laughed.

"Thank you human. I am Darunia, the Big Boss of the Goron's. Is there anything you humans wanted from me?"

"Well…Kratos and I…we were kinda wondering…if you can give us…The Spiritual Stone of Fire."

Darunia was caught off-guard. "What!? You humans want the Spiritual Stone as well."

"As well?" Kratos wondered.

Darunia cleared his throat**(I think Goron's have throats. If you want to debate me, I'm all ears.)**.

"Well, the Spiritual Stone of Fire, also known as the Goron's Ruby is our tribes sacred treasure. We're not just going to just give it to you." Darunia said rather coldly.

Link looked down, defeated.

But then the Goron smirked. "However, if you can prove yourself as real men by killing the monsters inside Dodongo's Cavern…I'll give you the stone."

Link suddenly brightened. "Really. Thanks Darunia, thank you so much!" Link was about to run off again before…

"WAIT! Take this with you." Darunia threw Link what seemed like a golden bracelet. "That will allow even ordinary humans to pick up bomb flowers."

Link slipped on the bracelet. "You mean I'll be able to use those exploding flowers…COOL!"

Darunia beamed at Link. "I love your enthusiasm human." He turned to Kratos. "I would have given one to you, but I've been told you are unusually strong for a human."

"That I am. Come Link; let's go to the Dodongo Cavern."

"Right."

* * *

Finding their way into the cave wasn't too hard. Link was enjoying having the strength of plucking bomb flowers so much, that he accidently destroyed the boulder blocking the entrance to the cave. The cave itself was rather intricate.

Kratos saw that the cave held many rooms as they went into and through to them. But the main room of the dungeon was very ominous. The entire back side of the room was a giant skull of a dodongo. And that wasn't the only thing that bothered Kratos.

The Dodongos. They were a new and challenging enemy for Link. One had even burnt his shield to a crisp and they had to pay a traveling Deku salesman fifty rupees for a replacement. And even when Kratos and Link would defeat one of these beasts…they would explode afterwards.

Link however, found the dungeon to be quite entertaining. Especially when he found the secret treasure hidden in the dungeon.

"Bombs! I have my very own bombs now. BEST. DAY. EVER." Link held the bag over his head with a gleam in his eyes. Kratos sighed, running a hand over his face.

The dungeon was pretty straight forward and the two of them were able to trek through in about six hours.

They stood before the last room with a bomb logo on the floor of the room. Link turned to Kratos, giving off an innocent child smile before Kratos sighed.

"Go ahead Link."

"Yeah!" Link lit a bomb and stood back as it exploded and destroyed the floor.

The two of them jumped into the darkness of the final room, hearing the growling of a very large monster.

**Me: And…that's good.**

**Martel: Please review, ShadowV has no life and needs them to keep him happy.**

**Me: Tell the whole world why don't you.**


	19. King Dodongo and Fairy Innuendo

**Me: Wow, 7 reviews for after one update, that's a record.**

**Martel: I take full credit.**

**Me: What! Why you?**

**Martel: I preached to the ToS fanfic community how you had no life. Anyways, ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

**Me: Whatever. I'd like to personally thank Fukachi no Rin, Lady Isludis, Commandant of Heart, Kharlan Hero, happy ametuer, lightwolf8, and kash30032000 for their reviews**

Chapter 19

King Dodongo and Fairy Innuendo

"Aaaahhhh!!" Link yelled as he continued to fall down the hole he just bombed. Kratos however remained silent as they fell. He almost on impulse unfurled his wings but stopped himself at the last moment. That would bring up questions he really did not want to answer.

_Thud!_

Link and Kratos hit the ground surprisingly unhurt. Link was baffled but Kratos noticed the earth in the cave they were in was very soft. Also, the heat of the lava pool in the middle of the room might had had something to do with it.

_Grrrrrrraaaaaaaahhhh!!_

Kratos and Link instantly turned behind themselves to see the largest Dodongo they have ever seen. He was at least twelve feet tall and probably weighed two or three tons.

Navi immediately flew out of Link's hat. "That's the Infernal Dinosaur, King Dodongo!" The Dodongo slowly approached the three of them. Link glanced over to Navi.

"Navi! Do you have any advice on how to beat him!?" Navi fluttered around for a second before flying over to the trending behemoth. But before she could encircle the beast, he started inhaling air. And since Navi weighs next to nothing…her as well.

Link fell to his knees and yelled out to her. "NAVI!!" Kratos grabbed Link's arm to prevent him from being sucked up as well. He did his best to secure his foot into the soft soil of the Dodongo's lair.

Hot steam erupted from the monster's nostrils as it was done sucking up as much air as it could. Kratos knew what was coming and hugged Link's small body. Link's shield wouldn't save him from what was about to happen.

The Dodongo exhaled. Fire erupted from its mouth, coming full force at the two. Kratos extended Arredoval to protect both him and Link from the impact of the fire.

_Whhhoooooosssshhhhh!!_

The intensity of the heat around Link made him his skin clamy and dry. Kratos, being the angel that he was, was able to handle the intense uncomfortable environment the fire provided around them.

Just as the fire blast ended, Kratos saw a blur of blue fly at them. He got up and caught a rather…crisp, Navi.

Blowing out a small ember on her head, he handed her to Link, who cupped her in his hand.

"Navi, are you all right?!" The fairy coughed up a bit and turned to Link.

"...That was fun." Kratos rolled his eyes. She was fine. "Link." He turned to his fairy.

"Yes, what is it?"

"It's…outer skin is near invulnerable; you won't be able to scratch it." Link suddenly felt downcast. "However…its insides are tender and soft, that's its weak point." Navi then passed out from heat exhaustion. Link turned to Kratos.

"Will she be okay?" Kratos took the fairy in his hand and turned away from Link. Examining her battered and burnt body he slowly whispered.

_First Aid!_

Her skin slowly returned to its original color and she gained back her soft blue glow. Kratos turned around and handed her back to Link.

"She'll be fine. Put her under your hat for this fight though to rest." Link nodded, and turned to view his foe.

"So…how do we attack it from the inside without being burned alive?" Kratos didn't answer. He just observed the environment around them.

"Kratos?" Kratos turned to Link.

"Link, how did you defeat that giant spider inside the Great Deku Tree?" Link just stared at him and noticed the giant Dodongo roll up and suddenly speed up at them.

Link hugged the cave wall behind him like his life depended on it. "I don't think now is the time for a pop quiz Kratos." Kratos sided stepped, avoiding the beast and glanced back over to Link.

"Answer the question Link! How did you defeat Gohma?" Link let out a loud sigh.

"I used my slingshot to blind her and stab her head with my sword. But what does that matter now?!" King Dodongo was on the other side of the lava pool now, uncurling itself from rolling around. It turned around to slowly face them and walked towards them slowly.

Kratos glanced over to Link. "You found the slingshot inside the Tree where you fought Gohma. What did you find in this cave?" A light bulb suddenly shined above Link's head.

"I found bombs but—wait." Link started to laugh with mischief as he brought out his bomb bag. "Navi said that his weak point was on the inside. What if I throw a bomb as he begins to inhale again?" Kratos smirked.

"I see you get it Link. Do it!"

"Alright! I can't believe I get to use bombs to beat this guy." King Dodongo was almost upon Link as he began to inhale air. But Link just smirked. Getting a bomb out of his bomb bag, he prepared to throw a bomb.

"Take this—Whoaaa!!" Link meant to throw a bomb while the creature was sucking up air but he tripped over his own feet and dropped his bomb bag. Instead of throwing one bomb…ALL twenty of his bombs were sucked up by the Dodongo!

His eyes widening, Kratos raced over to Link and dragged him to the other side of the cave as fast as he could.

"GET DOWN AND COVER YOUR EARS!!" Link didn't need to be told twice. He clutched his head between his arms and covered his ears as hard as he could, waiting for it to happen.

_BBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!_

Though the explosion happened inside the Dodongo, the force of it shook the cave. The Dodongo itself, tried to clutch its belly by curling up and rolling. However, the pain was too great and it ended up rolling into the lava pool, slowly melting on the outside as well as being blown up on the inside.

Link and Kratos just watched as the creature sunk into the lava pool. But for a very strange reason, the creature's body didn't melt; it actually solidified and solidified the lava pool along with it.

Link and Kratos exchanged glances as another blue light teleporter appeared in the middle of the room.

Link suddenly sighed.

"What is it Link?"Letting out another sigh, he turned to Kratos.

"It's just…that thing ate my whole bomb bag." Kratos just face-palmed.

* * *

Both Kratos and Link descended from the sky as the blue light teleported them out of King Dodongo's lair.

As their feet met the ground, Kratos and Link turned to Death Mountain itself. By looking at it, Death Mountain looked like it was trembling but his hearing picked up…someone running?

Suddenly something jumped from the upper level of the mountain path. Kratos unsheathed Flameberg.

_Thud!_

Crashing down next to the two of them was the Big Boss of the Gorons, Darunia. Only this time, he was pretty happy to see them both.

"Well done you two." The Big Brother of the Gorons then patted both Kratos and Link somewhat hard, knocking Link over and nearly driving Kratos into the mountain itself.

"Thanks to you two, we can finally go back into Dodongo's Cavern and eat those delicious rocks until our stomachs burst!"

Kratos didn't reply, he was trying to remove his foot from the rock of the mountain path. Link however, worked up his strength to rise from the ground.

"…No problem Darunia." After Kratos successfully freed his foot from the ground he spoke.

"It is mostly Link that you should congratulate. He was the one that defeated the King of the Dodongos. I only guided him through it."

Darunia simply shined a smile towards both of them. "You are certainly a modest human Kratos." He then turned to Link. "On behalf of my tribe Link, I thank you."

Darunia turned behind to view the cavern itself while scratching his chin. "Still, I can't believe that the dodongos suddenly appeared with such high numbers. And that big rock blocking the cave too. All of this must have been caused by that Gerudo thief Ganondorf!"

At the mention of Ganondorf's name, Link tensed up while Kratos '…'.

"Ganondorf did this to you?!? Why?" Darunia sighed.

"That Ganondorf…he wanted our Spiritual Stone so badly that he cut off our food supplies to get it from us. He blocked off the cave to Dodongo's Cavern."

"Humph, it seems he'll do anything to get his hands on those stones. But threatening to kill off your entire tribe by cutting off your food source…" Kratos began.

"…it's just…evil. He's willing to do anything to get his hands on the Triforce." finished Link.

But Darunia smiled. "He demanded me to hand over the spiritual stone at the cost of starving my tribe. But you two risked your lives to help my tribe." Darunia chuckled.

"How's about you two become become my Sworn Brothers?" Both Link and Kratos stared at Goron.

"It's not that complicated, just take this as a token of our friendship and for saving my tribe." Holding his hands above his head, a bright red light enveloped the mountain trail. Link covered his eyes from the brightness of the light while Kratos held his hand over his forehead.

Once the light cleared, a very large ruby wrapped in gold, descended to Link. Link held out his hands as the Goron's Ruby fell into it.

"Wow, the second Spiritual Stone…" Darunia smirked at Link.

"I hope you keep on brushing up on your skills as you travel Link."

"That's what I am for." Kratos simply said. Link beamed at him. Darunia nodded and turned to face Death Mountain's peak.

"You should go see the Great Fairy at the top of the mountain. Her magic will greatly aid you on your quest." Link and Kratos turned to stare at the mountain.

"Great Fairy…hmm…" Kratos wondered.

Suddenly, Link remembered something. "Hey Darunia. Um, what did you mean that Kratos and I were your "Sworn Brothers?" Darunia's face erupted into a large grin.

"I'll show you. HEY EVERYONE, LET'S SEE OFF OUR NEW BROTHERS!!" Upon yelling that to the heavens, seven or eight Gorons fell from the top of the mountain.

Both Kratos and Link sweatdropped.

"You did great!"

"How's bout a big Goron hug!"

"Wanna try some rocks?"

Link turned to Kratos, slightly panicking. "Kratos, what do we do in a battle situation like this?!?" Kratos turned to see more Goron's coming down.

"Not all battles can be won. This is one of them. So now…we retreat!" Link didn't need to be told twice as they both bolted up the mountain path, to see the Great Fairy.

* * *

After getting a new bomb bag in Goron City, a now happy Link and the still stoic Kratos trekked up Death Mountain to see the Great Fairy.

"Hey Kratos?"

"Yes what it is?"

"Uh…what do you think…the Great Fairy looks like?" Kratos closed his eyes. Deep down, he was wondering as well.

"I haven't got a clue. Why don't you ask Navi?" Link gasped, suddenly remembering Navi and her being almost burned alive.

Link reached into his hat and pull out an almost fully healed Navi. "Navi, how are you feeling?" Said fairy stretched her short arms.

"Better. But still…I don't want to relive that experience." Link laughed, happy that she was almost back to normal.

"I wouldn't want to either. Well Navi, I was wondering...we're going to go see the Great Fairy. Kratos and I were wondering…what does she look like?" After his question, Navi suddenly glowed red.

"Uh…well, she's…" Suddenly she yawned. "Wow, I'm just so sleepy. Anyway, let me go back to sleep, K' thanks." Navi, swift as a bullet, flew back under Link's hat.

Confused, Link turned to Kratos. "What was that all about?"

"Hmph, she knows something, she just doesn't feel like telling us."

* * *

Climbing any mountain isn't easy. But climbing Death Mountain…was exactly what you would think it was. Link almost fell off two or three times and all three of them were pelted by hot volcanic rocks all the way to the top of the mountain.

Needless to say, when all three of them had finally got to the top of the mountain, they were very relieved.

"Thank the Goddesses, we made it!" Link then fell to the ground and nearly kissed it. Kratos rolled his eyes at Link's antics but nonetheless, he was just as relieved.

"Hoot, I see you both have done very well to come up here!" **(I don't think I wrote about the Owl in the beginning. If I didn't…they met him already, okay!)**

Link and Kratos turned to see the Giant Owl at the top of the mountain. Link just waved to him.

"Howdy." The Owl chuckled.

"Isn't this mountain a peaceful place?" Link just glared at him.

"Peaceful!? The mountain was just erupting a few minutes ago!" The owl shook—rotated his head.

"That is normal for Death Mountain. Link, take a look at the circular cloud surrounding the peak of the mountain." Sure enough both Link and Kratos looked at it and saw that it looked no different than any other regular cloud.

Seeing their clueless expressions, the Owl elaborated. "When the circular cloud is white and clear, it means the mountain is at peace. But I digress; the Great Fairy is to the right of me. Go and see her, and she will help you on your quest." Link nodded and turned to Kratos.

Urging him on, both Link and Kratos entered the Great Fairy's cave.

* * *

When Kratos and Link entered her cave, they both saw one of the most peaceful and tranquil places they have ever seen. The cave was a large magical fountain. Water flowed in from seemingly nowhere and crashed down onto the floor of the fountain so softly that it did not create a ripple effect.

Kratos never saw anything so magical before besides from the Giant Kharlan Tree.

At the altar of the cave, Link saw the Triforce mark on the floor. Glancing over to Kratos, he went into his wingpack and got out Link's Fairy Ocarina.

After playing Zelda's Lullaby, the Great Fairy emerged from the fountain. **(Okay, I know what you think the Great Fairies look like in Ocarina of Time. But their description for this story will be how they look like in Twilight Princess. Why? Because they look like prostitutes in OoT)**

Kratos suddenly understood why Navi was so nervous before. The Great Fairy was topless! Kratos was relieved that she at least wore a small skirt.

She was very beautiful. She wore her long red hair down, allowing some of it to cover up her breasts. She had long ears just like Hylians and had very beautiful wings. Compared to his own, her wings were more like large flower petals coming out of her back. They were translucent like his but they were a little larger than his and her wings were colored red to match her hair.

Link didn't know what to think. Because of that, he just stared at her. And not at her face.

However, the Great Fairy did not take notice of Link's staring. "Welcome Link. I am the Great Fairy of Power! I will grant you the power to use magic to power up your sword techniques."

A small flower appeared in her hand that looked very similar to the Great Fairy's wings. She simply blew on the flower, allowing its translucent petals to envelope Link.

Link closed his eyes. He felt…uplifted by the Great Fairy's magic going through him. Suddenly he didn't feel tired from climbing Death Mountain any more.

Once the petals stopped encircling him, the fairy smiled. "Your spin attack now will be much more powerful. By using magic I have endowed you with, it will power up. However, if you use the attack too often, your body's magic will run out."

'Hmm…could this be Hyrule's verison of mana?' Kratos wondered.

Link nodded and tested out his new technique. "Hyaaaaah!" Kratos noticed that his spin attack was indeed powered up. It looked similar to his Fierce Demon Fang Arte.

The Great Fairy smiled. "When your near Hyrule Castle again, check in on one of my friends near there. For she will grant you a magical power as well." Link nodded, still staring at her chest. Kratos finally noticed this and dragged Link out of the fountain by his shirt collar.

* * *

"Link, I'll have you know it's rude to stare at someone…not wearing anything."

"I'm sorry Kratos, I-I don't know what came over me. I was suddenly very curious and couldn't stop myself from staring." Kratos sighed again.

He knew it was a bad idea, but he asked Link anyway. "Link, do you know…the facts of life?" Confused, Link shook his head.

"What do you mean Kratos?" Kratos picked his words carefully.

"I mean…do you know, where babies come from?" At this Link smiled.

"Of course, everyone knows that! The Great Deku Tree creates everyone, that's where people come from."

"…"

"What is it Kratos?"

"…nothing Link. Let's head down the mountain now."

**Me: Come on. I was a ten year old boy once. I wasn't told 'the truth' until about that age. And it's fun messing with a naïve Link and an embarrassed Kratos.**

**Martel: You have NO idea how fun it is.**

**Me: O.o Review?**


	20. Link being Irresponsible

**Me: (yawns) New chapter time!**

**Martel: This fic is progressing at a good rate.**

**Me: I know, I'm almost to the point everone's waiting for.**

**Martel: ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

Chapter 20

Link being irresponsible

Kratos said nothing as he and Link flew back to Kakiriko village on top of the giant talking Owl. Kratos thought it was strange that the Owl could fly while carrying both he and Link but he chose not to question logic in this world any more.

Flying back on the Owl proved very resourceful as both of them were able to get back to Kakiriko village in only ten minutes.

Landing on top of one of the houses, Link was very grateful because he was about to fall asleep from fighting King Dodongo, climbing the mountain, and flying down back to the village. Kratos allowed them to once again to stay in the Cuckoo Lady's house for the night.

* * *

As Link and Navi slept, Kratos walked out of her house to speak with his old friend. Noishe was where he left him; sleeping next to the cuckoos in the Cuckoo Lady's pen.

Noishe's ears twitched and he lifted his head to see his old friend.

"**So you're back. Did you get it?" **Kratos nodded.

"Yes, the monster guarding it was a huge gray lizard." Noishe snorted.

"**Nothing you can't handle, this journey should be almost over then." **Kratos said nothing as he looked away towards the horizon.

"Yes…something about that has been bothering me." Noishe tilted his head, confused. Kratos turned back to face him.

"Zelda plans to use the Triforce to stop Ganondorf and restore peace to Hyrule." Noishe nodded.

"**You already told me about that. This…Triforce has the power to grant any wish because it uses the combined power of Din, Nayru, and Farore." **Kratos nodded.

"It just seems…too easy to me. To just…_wish_ that Ganondorf plans don't work." Both of them were silent for a moment. It was Noishe that broke the silence.

"**Kratos, something has been bothering me about the Triforce too." **

"Hmm?" Noishe got up and stretched his legs.

"**The Triforce can grant any wish…right?" **Kratos nodded.

"Yes, that is what I was told. What of it?"

"**Well…then it's possible to use the Triforce to…bring people back from the dead…right?" **Kratos turned to Noishe, surprise written on his face. However, his face fell and he turned away from Noishe.

"No Noishe. She's dead, gone forever." Noishe didn't get a chance to respond as Kratos ended their conversation by walking away.

But not before whispering one name.

"Anna…" Kratos walked back to the Cuckoo Lady's house, one lone tear running down his face.

* * *

The next morning Kratos, Link, Navi, and Noishe exited Kakiriko village in search for the last spiritual stone. The only problem was…they had no idea where it was.

"Navi, do you know where to look?" Link asked. Navi's wings dropped.

"…sorry Link, I have no idea." She suddenly perked up. "Maybe Saria knows!" However, her suggestion was shot down by Kratos.

"I fail to see how that Kokiri girl would know where the spiritual stone is if the Kokiri NEVER leave the forest."

Silence.

Navi just glared at Kratos. "I was just wondering, jeez. I bet YOU don't have any ideas where it is do you?!"

"…" Kratos turned away from Navi and went to pet Noishe. Navi sighed.

"Where are we supposed to look!?!" Navi yelled out to the heavens.

No one noticed but Noishe suddenly smelled something. As Noishe left Kratos side, Kratos turned to see the protozoan…sniffing the river?

Intrigued, Kratos slowly walked up to Noishe. "What is it?" Noishe didn't reply, he was too busy finding the scent of something.

"…**Hmm Kratos, I smell some strange kind of fish. But they don't smell like fish. They're like…people-fish." **Kratos suddenly remembered being told about the Zoras in Castle Town a few days back. Humanoid fishes.

Kratos turned back to Link and Navi. "Could it be possible that the last Spiritual Stone is with the Zoras?"

Both Link and Navi looked back at him, surprised at the bluntness of his suggestion. But it was a very good suggestion.

"Hmm, you could be on to something Kratos." Navi said as she flew on top of Link's head. "The problem is…finding where the Zoras are."

"Yeah Kratos…do you have any way of looking for them?" Link was surprised when he saw Kratos smile.

"I do in fact." He turned to Noishe. "Noishe suddenly picked up the scent of the Zoras near the river." Navi's eyes widened.

"Duh! Of course! This is the river the Zoras are in charge of. The Zora River. I can't believe I forgot about this! They patrol the whole river starting from their home, Zora's Domain to the large lake where the river empties out into; Lake Hylia."

Link put his hand to his chin, staring at the river. "So if we follow this river upstream…"

"…we'll find the Zoras and maybe the last spiritual stone!" Navi finished. Kratos turned back the Noishe.

"We should be able to find them quickly. After all, Noishe has their unique scent." Noishe barked loudly at Kratos while Link tilted his head.

"Your 'dog' can do that?!" Kratos nodded.

"All dogs have a better sense of smell than a human. Because of this, they are able to find things by just catching their scent." Navi flew off Link and around Kratos.

"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Noishe nodded and begun to run next to the Zora River as it flowed downstream, past Noishe.

Unfortunately for Kratos, Link, and Navi…they had a hard time keeping up with the running Arshis.

* * *

Hyrule never ceased to amaze Kratos. After following the extremely fast Noishe upstream, they had come across a dead end path that ended with a large waterfall. But looking down at their feet, Link and Kratos knew what to do. After playing Zelda's Lullaby, they were entitled to enter Zora's Domain.

And if Kratos was intrigued by the Goron civilization, he was very impressed with the Zoras. Their whole tribe inhabited a very large lake surrounded by stone that protected them from invasion.

The Zoras themselves were a unique type of creature indeed. They were able to walk like humans and swim like the fastest of fishes. Their skin was light blue and they had very large eyes. Besides from that and the boomerang like fins on their arms, they were the closest living creatures to humans.

Link too, was very entranced by the Zoras. Not by the way they looked, but by the way they moved and swam. Kratos noticed too; the Zoras were the most graceful swimmers he had ever seen.

"Wow, these guys are good swimmers huh Kratos?" Kratos nodded.

"Indeed."

"I wonder…" Link decided to throw caution to the wind and got into a diving position. Kratos turned to see Link just as his feet left the ground.

"LINK!!" Kratos and Navi said at the exact same time.

Link's dive looked very good from the start. However, his center of gravity was off and he felt himself, flip slowly upwards with his back facing the water.

_FLOP!_

A nearby Zora winced. "Ouch, backflop."

Kratos and Navi stared at the water, waiting for Link to resurface. They were very relieved when said Hero emerged from the water, waving at them.

"That was so fun! Come on Kratos, why don't you dive?" Kratos just 'hmph' in response to Link's request. Navi however, flew around Kratos, teasing him.

"Hey Link, Kratos probably CAN'T swim!" Navi laughed out loud as did Link. Kratos simply closed his eyes.

"I'll have both of you know that I am capable of swimming. The only reason I would dive in though, is if Link's life was in danger."

As if fate would have it, an underground current got a hold of Link and suck him underwater, through a dark tunnel. Navi panicked and turned to face Kratos.

Kratos sighed and took a deep breath as Navi clutched onto his hair as Kratos performed a perfect swan dive into the Zoran Lake and into the dark underwater tunnel.

* * *

_Splash!_

Out of the stillness of the water, emerged a very wet Kratos and an equally drenched Navi. She quickly flew off of his head and shook most of the water clinging to her. While she shook water off her, she zoomed around the new area they were in, in search of Link.

"Where is he?!" Navi fluttered around quickly while Kratos took a look around to identify where they were.

Kratos saw a very large lake containing a small central island in the middle of the lake. On the perimeter of the lake, Kratos noticed that there were only two houses on the lake. And each were on opposite sides of the lake.

Suddenly, something reflected into Kratos' eyes. Outside his peripheral vision, Kratos noticed a bottle floating in the lake. Swimming over, he took notice that the bottle wasn't just litter, but the bottle contained a small parchment inside of it. Deciding it was important; Kratos pocketed the bottle right as Navi flew over to him.

"Kratos! Good news, some Zoras that were here at Lake Hylia found and rescued Link!" Navi fluttered around, very relieved.

Kratos too, sighed in relief. "Good, led the way Navi."

Navi did as asked, and led the way to shore line of Lake Hylia. There, they both found a completely drenched Link, coughing up a bit of water.

"…Hey there Kratos and Navi." Navi glared at the boy and repeatedly bopped him in the head.

"YOU IDIOT! NEXT TIME, LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP…LITERALLY!!" Link tried to cover his head with his hands but it did not help as much.

Kratos was glaring at Link as well. "I have to agree with Navi Link. What you did was reckless and stupid."

Link looked at both of them and sighed. "I know…I'll try to be more careful next time."

"I would hope you will. Now come, let us get—"

"Excuse me!" Kratos was cut off as a Zora swam up to them. Kratos looked over to the Zora and bowed. "I can't thank you enough for saving my apprentice from drowning." The Zora smiled.

"Your quite welcome. We were looking for our princess and were surprised to find someone of her age coming down our Domain's secret passage." Link tilted his head.

"Why are you looking for princess?" The Zora sighed.

"She has gone missing I'm afraid. So our King has dispatched the bulk of his military force to Lake Hylia, where we are now, and all over the Zoran River that flows throughout Hyrule." Link's eyes widened.

"The river is that large?! Wow!" Kratos turned to the Zora.

"Lake Hylia…so that's where we are?" The Zora nodded.

"The Zoran river begins were our Domain is located. Melted snow from Snowpeak mountain flows down the mountain to our Domain. The fresh water then flows down the river towards the Kokiri Forest and Castle Town and Hyrule Castle. After flowing past Hyrule Castle, the river flows through Gerudo Valley and finally ends up here in Lake Hylia. However, you three came through an underwater river straight to Lake Hylia."

Link raised his eyebrows at the complex river system of Hyrule. Then he stood up and looked the Zora in the eye. "I would like to help you guys with your search for the Princess."

The Zora stared at Link for moment but smiled afterwards. "Alright then, first you must speak to the King." However Kratos intervened.

"We would love to help but walking back all the way from Zora's Domain would take too long. Not to mention, we are searching for Spiritual Stone your people might possess for the Royal family." The Zora just laughed.

"If you are able to find the King's daughter, I am sure he will give you the stone. As for walking back to Zora's Domain, you don't have to."

"Hmm?" Link was confused.

"What do you mean, we don't have to?" Navi asked. It was at this point the Zora they were talking to, glanced up to see the sun setting. He then glanced back to underwater tunnel that brought them here.

"Watch closely at the tunnel." The three of them were still confused but they did as they were told. The tunnel was still expelling water into the lake as the sun was setting. However, just as the light disappeared from the sky, the tunnel stopped expelling water and instead, started to suck up water.

Kratos was amazed. The underwater tunnel's water current changed depending on the time of day.

The Zora smiled and looked back at them. "Be sure to take a deep breath." The Zora then swam away, leaving them alone."

Navi just sighed. "I can't believe we have to go through that underwater tunnel again." Link just shrugged.

"Eh, beats walking." He turned to Kratos. "Are we ready to go?" Kratos nodded.

"Let us make haste." Link however chuckled. Kratos looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"It's just...I can't believe I get to see you swim now." Kratos just rolled his eyes as both of them took a deep breath and swam towards the tunnel.

* * *

_Splash!_

Both Link and Kratos emerged from the water again, this time, back at Zora's Domain. However, during their swim back, the bottle Kratos found got loose and floated out of the water, next to them. Link grabbed it with intense curiosity.

"What's this?"

"While we were looking for you, I found this letter in a bottle in the lake. However, I didn't have time to look inside of it yet."

As both of them got out of the water to meet a worried Noishe, Link opened the bottle while Kratos talked to Noishe.

"**Where'd you guys go!?!" **Kratos did his best to dry out his clothes and his hair.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later."

"KRATOS!" Kratos turned to face Link who was holding the letter out of the bottle while Navi read it.

She flew up to Kratos while Link held the letter. "It's from the Zoran Princess!"

Kratos was surprised but took the letter from Link. After reading it, he glanced over to the two of them. "We have to go to King Zora."

After leaving behind a disappointed Protozoan, Kratos, Link, and Navi met with the King of the Zoras and showed them the letter from the Princess. After looking at it he sighed.

"Ruto is INSIDE Lord Jabu-Jabu. But our guardian god would never eat my dear daughter! But...ever since that stranger Ganondorf came to our land, Lord Jabu-Jabu has been a little green around the gills." All three of them sweatdropped at the weird Zora expression. But they were also worried what Ganondorf did to both the Princess and their guardian god.

King Zora glanced back at the three of them. "Please, go and rescue my daughter. For I will give you anything you desire if you succeed." Link just smirked.

"Even the Spiritual Stone?" The King nodded.

"Yes, but ask about the stone to the Princess. She is the one that possesses the stone." Link nodded as the King of the Zora's **_SLOWLY_** moved to his right, revealing the path to the giant fish god.

* * *

Link, Kratos, and Navi just stared at the giant creature. He certainly looked the part for the god of the Zora tribe. But they wondered how they were going to rescue the Princess. Slowly coming to a realization, they all sighed.

"I believe we'll have to...go inside him." Navi just shuddered as Kratos said this.

"This is going to be so gross!" Link frowned at Navi and glanced towards Kratos. "How would we get in?"

Kratos was silent for a moment. "...I believe we need to offer something to him." Link suddenly smiled.

"Like food, how bout this fish!" Link held up a fish he caught from Lake Hylia and instantly Jabu-Jabu sucked all three of them up, literally eating them!

**Me: I think I'll stop here.**

**Martel: Review?**


	21. The Last Spiritual Stone

**Me: Time for the whale dungeon!**

**Martel: I'm sure Link and Kratos are going to have a WHALE of a time.**

**Me: …**

**Martel: (sighs) Whatever, ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

**Me: …yeah…onto the next chapter**

Chapter 21

The Last Spiritual Stone

"Link."

No response.

"Link!" Link turned to his side and saw Kratos over him. The first thing Link noticed was the Goddess awful smell and the slimy gutsy texture of the ground. Suddenly Link remembered he was inside the Zora's deity, Jabu-Jabu.

Kratos saw Link's face turn green. "Link! Are you all right?" Link didn't say anything. Instead, as he got to his feet he ran to the nearest corner of Jabu-Jabu and vomited.

Kratos cringed at the sight of Link and felt sorry for him. Luckily for Kratos, he turned off his sense of smell and taste. Navi flew out and patted Link on the back.

"It'll be alright Link. Come on, let's get through Jabu-Jabu and rescue Princess Ruto." Wiping his mouth, Link turned to Navi and nodded his head.

Kratos took a look around his surroundings. The insides of the giant whale creature looked almost like…another dungeon. But why would a whale have a dungeon for a body? **(How does a whale have a dungeon for a body? Well Nintendo…I'm waiting)**

Kratos glanced and saw what…looked like a door to the next room…or area of the whale, but it was covered in a green film like fluid. Walking next to Kratos, Link took notice of it as well.

"Hmm…" Link thought as he stared at the door and then looked around the room. "Ah!" Taking out his slingshot, he fired a seed to the whale's uvula and the green film surrounding the door disappeared.

Link smiled and ran towards the door while Kratos just question the logic of this world for like…the seventeenth time.

* * *

After wandering through a few rooms of the whale, Link had come to hate jellyfish. Why? Because every time he tried to kill them, they would shock him. But Link would still try to kill them with his sword anyway.

Kratos, having rolled his eyes enough times at Link's attempts to kill the jellyfish, took him aside and told him swinging a metal sword at an electrical enemy was not going to accomplish much.

After that short lecture, they came to a new room with many holes in the floor. And also in the room, was the Zoran Princess.

Link smiled and ran up to her. "Are you Princess Ruto? I'm so glad you're safe!" While Link offered his hand to her, as she just looked Link over and narrowed her eyes.

_SMACK!!_

The Zoran Princess just slapped Link across the face with her fin and glared at him. "Insolent fool! You are addressing the Princess of the Zoras. Name yourself!"

Kratos rolled his eyes and decided to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. To do that, Kratos would have to…

Kratos walked right up to the ten year old Zora Princess while Link rubbed his red cheek. Taking a deep breath, he got on one knee and lowering his head, bowing before Ruto.

"…Forgive my young apprentice, he has little knowledge on how to formally address Royalty. I am Kratos Aurion and this is my apprentice Link." If it could, Link's mouth would hit the floor because it was wide open with shock. Navi had a similar reaction.

Even Ruto raised an eyebrow at Kratos' actions but she slowly smiled. "Hmph, you may rise Kratos Aurion." Kratos brought his head up slowly and stood up. Ruto then turned to Link and glared at him. "At least someone has manners. You should be on your knees thanking your Master. He might've just saved your life!"

"Excuse me Princess?" Her anger immediately fading, she turned to Kratos with a smile on her face.

"Yes, what is it Kratos Aurion?"

"We are looking for you on behalf of your father. He really misses you." Link walked up next to Kratos.

"And we were wondering if you had the Spiritual Stone of Water?"

_SMACK!!_

Ruto glared at Link, who was rubbing his other cheek now. "DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK TO ME!?!"

Link, angered now unsheathed his sword.

"Link! I know your angry right now but for now…put. the. sword. away."

"But—" Link was meant by a very scary glare from Kratos. Getting the message, he sheathed his sword.

Kratos then turned his attention to Ruto. "Like Link said before, do you have the Spiritual Stone?"

Kratos and Link were discouraged when Ruto shook her head. "I don't have it…but I know where it is. I was in here playing when—"

"You were PLAYING inside this whale?!"

_SMACK! SMACK!_

Ruto slapped both of Link's cheeks and glared at him. "Jabu-Jabu isn't some _whale_, he is the godly deity to my tribe. I will not stand idly by when you just insult him!"

"Well, Excusssse me Princess!" Link just glared at the girl and mumbled several curses he learned while in Castle Town. Kratos sighed and turned to Ruto again.

"Can you lead us to the stone?" Ruto smiled.

"Of course! The stone is that way." Ruto pointed towards the far side of Jabu-Jabu, indicating they would have to walk further in.

Link was overjoyed…mainly to get away from the girl. "Great! Let's—"

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!?" Link sighed and slowly turned to see Ruto, sitting on the ground. "The stone rightfully belongs to me. If you want it, then you'll have to carry me with you."

Link's eyeballs were about to pop out of his head. "What!" Kratos sighed and glanced over to Link.

"Just do it Link."

"But Kratos…" Kratos let loose another glare at Link. Link sighed and went to pick up the Zora Princess.

* * *

"To carry me is considered a great honor. You should be thanking me!" Ruto said to Link as he, Kratos, and Ruto walked through the depths of Jabu-Jabu.

"…thank you, Princess." Link said rather bitterly. Ruto smiled at Link.

"Good…maybe even someone like you can learn respect." Link sighed and silently mumbled to himself.

Trekking through the insides of Jabu-Jabu, Kratos and Link were surprised to find a boomerang inside him. Link took it into his hands and tested it out, killing numerous jellyfish with it. Kratos suspected he was getting some sort of retribution from the experience. Mainly because he was directing all of his anger of Ruto against them.

After a little more traveling through Jabu-Jabu, Link, Kratos, and Ruto finally came across it: the Spiritual Stone of Water.

Ruto's eyes widened and she fidgeted while being carried by Link. "There it is! Quickly, put me down so I can go get—" Suddenly a large tentacle came down and took the stone away.

The color from Ruto's face drained immensely. "No! Quickly, we have to get out of—aaahhh!" Another tentacle came down and grabbed the Zoran Princess. Kratos grabbed Link and dived out of the way of the other approaching tentacles.

The ceiling of the room they are in suddenly lite up and Link and Kratos see a giant squid-like jellyfish monster come crashing down to the floor! Navi flies out of Link's hat and goes over to it, encircling it before coming back to Link.

"Link! That's the Bio-electric Anemone, Barrinade! Quickly, you have to kill him to rescue Princess Ruto!" Link groaned.

"Do I have too?" Both Navi and Kratos glared at him. "Okay, okay, fine." Link unsheathed his sword to face the monster.

"Link, what did I say earlier about attacking electric type monsters with metal swords?" Link stopped himself and blinked.

"R-right, forgot about that." Link instead sheathed his sword and brought out his new toy: the boomerang.

Kratos raised an eyebrow but smirked. 'Finally! He's starting to learn.'

Link swung his left arm and let loose the boomerang. Flying around, it landed its mark and was able to destroy three of its large electric cells on its body.

"Yes! After I get rid of those, I think I can safely attack the monster with my sword. This was too—aaahhhh!"

Barinade managed to shock Link into submission by blasting him with electricity. Kratos sighed.

"Remember Link; don't think that you won because you have your enemy cornered. Remain on the defense at all times."

With some of Link's hair sticking up, he gave a thumbs up to Kratos and raised his shield.

As Barinade let loose another electric strike, Link rolled to the right and threw his boomerang at its last three electrical shields. And on its way back, his boomerang was able to stun the beast as well.

Link smirked. "Hyaaaaaahhhhh!" Unleashing sword slice after sword slice with a mixture of stabs and finally ending with a spin attack, Barinade let go of Ruto and the spiritual stone and the beast started to swell up.

Link's face scrunched together in discust as he watched the squid-like body explode with a gooey green finish.

Kratos watched on, smiling at Link's victory. Navi flew to meet him.

"Link has come a long way, hasn't he?" Kratos gave the fairy a short nod.

"Indeed, although Link isn't the first student of mine to defy the odds, he certainly is the youngest to do so." Navi tilted her head.

"Huh, you've had other students. Where are they?"

"…It's nothing." Kratos walked toward Link, leaving Navi frustrated again.

Link meanwhile walked towards Princess Ruto, smiling as he did so. Ruto however, was glaring at him as usual.

"Why did you let me get captured by that…THING!?!" Link recoiled a bit and rubbed his back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see it coming. Here, let me help you up." Link offered his hand to the Zoran Princess and she reluctantly took, muttering something under her breath.

"I-I was a tad scared." Picking up her stone, the four of them were warped out of the insides of Jabu-Jabu.

* * *

Link appeared outside Jabu-Jabu and came face to face with Ruto narrowing her eyes at him but she had a…smile on her face? Not expecting being teleported out on a thin tree this close to her, Link backed up from Ruto and fell right down into the water. Ruto laughed and hopped into the water to join Link as Kratos and Navi appeared on top of the same tree.

Kicking his feet to stay afloat Link sees Ruto come seductively towards him.

Ruto smiled while Link felt oddly flustered. "You…you looked so cool battling that monster!"

"…uh…thanks?" Link managed to get out. Ruto just giggled at his reaction.

"Well you saved me, so it's only right that I reward you." She brought out the spiritual stone**(where was she keeping it? O.o) **and offered it over to Link. Blue light flashed around the area they were in and after it dissipated the Zora's Sapphire was floating in Link's hands.

"Wow…the last one. Thank you Ruto." Ruto gave a heartful smile at him.

"The stone used to belong to my mother. She told me to only give it to the man I wanted to marry." After hearing this sentence, Kratos and Navi exchanged awkward glances and Kratos jumped into the water to meet Link.

"…Well, I am happy that we were able to help you. Now, we must be going towards Hyrule castle." Ruto's mood seemed to deflate, but she nodded understandingly.

"Before you go, visit the Great Fairy's fountain that is just across from here. She'll grant you more magic power." At the mention of the Great Fairy, Link's nose seemed to bleed while Kratos facepalmed.

* * *

After mending Link's nose…twice, before and after seeing the Great Fairy, Kratos, Link, Navi, and Noishe took off to travel to Hyrule Castle and deliver all three stones to Zelda.

"I can't believe we're almost done. I kinda actually had fun traveling around. What about you Kratos, how did you feel about traveling around?" Kratos glanced at Link out of the corner of his eye and smiled.

"It was quite enjoyable for once." Navi flew out of Links hat and yawned.

"Yeah, Kratos…you're not such a bad guy after all…I'm sorry for calling you names when you weren't around." Kratos tilted his head.

"What names?" Navi immediately sweatdropped and looked towards the Castle.

"Oh no! Kratos look!" Ignoring her, Kratos glared at Navi. Link laughed but his smiled faded when he took a look at Hyrule Castle.

"…No! Kratos, Navi's not lying. The Castle…it's burning!" Kratos immediately glanced over and saw that they were right.

"Noishe!" Noishe simply nodded and laid low to the ground. Link just stared at Kratos dumbfounded.

"What are you—WHOA!" Kratos grabbed Link and placed him on Noishe's back. Kratos immediately joined him. Kratos turned to Navi.

"You might want to get inside Link's hat. This is going to be a fast ride." Navi nodded, knowing how fast Noishe can actually run.

Kratos nodded as Navi took refuge under Link's hat. "Alright Noishe, we need to go now, as fast as possible!"

"**Right Kratos!"**

Noishe took off at once, reaching a top speed of almost ninety miles per hour! What would have taken half a day to reach, the burning Castle was coming up very fast. Kratos pulled back on Noishe's fur to indicate him to slow down.

Noishe got the message and had slowed down to a forty mile per hour trot as the four of them came up to Hyrule's Castle Town. A black cloud hung over the area and the castle drawbridge was up, probably to keep the town's people from escaping.

Link immediately got off and tried yelling upwards at the top of the Castle walls.

"Hello! Is anyone up there?! If there is, please lower the drawbridge!" It seemed that someone did hear Link because the drawbridge came swinging down, as quickly as possible without damaging it.

Once it was level with the ground, a pure white horse passed right by him. Kratos saw as there were two riders on the horse. He suddenly recognized both of them as Princess Zelda and her caretaker Impa. While Impa was commanding the horse, he noticed that Zelda's face was deathly white.

Link noticed too, and as soon as he saw her, she threw a small blue thing towards him. Unfortunately, her aim was off and the blue item landed in the Castle moat.

Link suddenly froze. This was exactly like the dream he had before he met Navi and Kratos. A cold chill ran up Link's spine and he slowly turned to see the man he expected to see behind him.

The same man Link saw only a few days before, eating a banquet with, was on his black stallion. Link could see every bit of evil in his eyes, angry that the Princess evaded him.

"Arrgh! I lost her!" Ganondorf glanced over to Link, who was just staring at the man in fear.

"Hmm…you look familiar…AH! Your that kid that was with the Princess a week ago!" Ganondorf got off his horse and the very ground quaked with fear as he stepped over it. Link however did not move as he slowly got closer and closer to him.

"I KNOW you saw which way the Princess went. Now, WHERE. IS. SHE!?"

Link swallowed the large rock that was forming in the base of his throat and unsheathed his Kokiri sword and Deku shield and did his best to imitate Kratos' death glare.

"I'll never tell you! Zelda is my friend!" Ganondorf stared at Link before throwing his head back, laughing.

_Heh Heh..Heh!! _

"You've got guts kid, standing up to me!" Ganondorf stared into Link's soul before his hand started charging up with magic.

_BOOOM! _

The dark magic came straight at Link, knocking him down to the ground. It was at this point Kratos intervened, seeing Ganondorf as too much for Link.

"Enough! Stop this pointless fighting!" Kratos unsheathed Flamberg and Arredoval and got into a casting stance. Swordsmanship alone won't stop this man. If that meant revealing his TRUE form, so be it.

Ganondorf eyed Kratos with interest. "That kid was too weak to fight me. But you…I sense great strength coming from you."

Ganondorf unsheathed a large one-handed black metal sword and pointed towards Kratos.

"Now…Let's see what you got…Kratos Aurion!!"

**Me: Using my magical author powers…I'm stopping here.**

**Martel: You bastard, right before the epic fight!**

**Me: Yep, review?**


	22. Kratos v Ganondorf

**Me: …ah…hi everyon—OW!! Why'd you hit me!?!**

**Martel: It's been over a month. Where have you been?!?**

**Me: It was a mix of Spring Break, Housing registration, job applications, school, and Heart-Gold. Anyway's the long awaited Kratos V. Ganondorf fight.**

**Martel: ShadowV doesn't own LoZ or ToS.**

Chapter 22

Kratos V. Ganondorf

Gripping his large sword, Ganondorf smiled wickedly at Kratos.

Kratos in the meantime was slightly nervous about this fight. In reality, he could probably run circles around Ganondorf in terms of sword play. However, after Ganondorf attacked Link with magic, Kratos concluded that the man had experience with using magic. With the aid of both his blade and magic, Kratos undoubtedly concluded that he too…would have to level the playing field.

"HAAA!!"

_Slice! Clank!_

Ganondorf took off towards Kratos and unleashed a downward sword slice from Kratos' position! Taking his sword, Kratos took a solid stance and held his ground and blocked Ganondorf's powerful slice with his Flameberg sword.

After blocking the strike, Kratos took his shield and thrusted it forward to knock Ganondorf off balance. But Ganondorf stepped back just in time and counterattack Kratos by performing a horizontal sword slice against the red-headed mercenary.

_Slice!_

Barely ducking in time to dodge the blow, the sword strike took a few hairs off Kratos' head, but he remained unhurt.

_Crunch! Slice!_

Not expecting Kratos to dodge his attack, Ganondorf was wide open for a low shin kick from Kratos. Flinching slightly, Kratos was then able to get in a clean slice on the dark thief, leaving a large cut on Ganondorf's left arm.

Ganondorf stepped back a few feet from the mercenary; clutching his left arm to slow down any bleeding.

Kratos stepped back as well and eyed the evil man, waiting for his next move.

Link, Navi, and Noishe watched from afar, eyes wide at Kratos impressive fighting style. She whispered in Link's ear. "Wow, I thought he was all talk but…he's really powerful."

Link just nodded, still light-headed from being attacked by Ganondorf's magic attack.

Ganondorf stopped clutching his arm and stared at Kratos with a satanic smile. "Not bad, you are an accomplished swordsman. But you're still…just a swordsman."

The light in the area around them simply disappeared and Ganondorf's body started glowing bright yellow.

Kratos grasped Flameberg and Arredoval. He knew what was coming.

"Try and block this then!"

_Pheeeeeeeeewww!_

Ganondorf then launched a fast pace energy ball at Kratos. However fast paced it was, Kratos was able to dodge it with relative ease.

However, Ganondorf just smirked.

_Pheeeew! Pheeeew! Pheeeew! Pheeeew!_

Kratos' eyes widened. Ganondorf had launched four fast paced energy balls at him. Kratos jumped to dodge the first one and sidestepped the second one.

However, his luck was running out fast. Kratos ducked down to dodge the third energy ball but was hit head on with last one, effectively knocking the red-headed mercenary over.

Ganondorf smiled his wicked green smile and rushed to strike Kratos while he was stunned. With his giant sword, Ganondorf unleashed a massive vertical strike, knowing that this strike would end the fight.

Or so he thought.

_CLLAAAAAAAAAGG!!_

With speed Ganondorf thought that only the Goddess could have matched, Kratos rose from the ground, brought up his sword and blocked Ganondorf's finishing blow, effectively locking both of their swords together in a stand-still match of sheer strength.

Kratos dug both of his feet into the ground. Even with his angelic strength, Ganondorf had combine what magic he knew with his sword skills and was equally, if not, even more powerful in terms of strength with Kratos.

Each of them glared into the other's eyes while both of their blades were locked. When one would get the upper hand and push forward, the other would push back even harder.

Link and Navi, sat off to the side, on edge. Silently, they both cheered on Kratos.

However Ganondorf pulled a cheap move.

_Baaaam!!_

Since both of their faces were close together, Ganondorf decided to headbutt Kratos; stunning him enough to break the sword lock.

Kratos fell to ground and grasped his head while Ganondorf laughed.

"And so it ends…pity that I have to destroy you." Not taking any chances of finishing off Kratos with his sword, Ganondorf readies a large magic attack.

"DIE!!"

_PHHHHHEEEEEEEEEWWWWW!! _

Link watches in horror as a large energy ball goes flying towards the stunned Kratos. Half-way before it would hit him; the ball divided itself into eight separate blasts and continued on their path to the downed red-headed mercenary.

Link looked away while Ganondorf threw his head back and laughed manically.

_Guardian Seal!_

A flurry of white and blue light surrounded Kratos just as all eight of Ganondorf's energy balls would have hit Kratos. Instead, all eight energy balls hit and bounced off his blue and white light shield and went in several different directions.

_Booom! Booom!_

Two of the energy balls bounced off and hit the ground below Kratos and lifted several pounds of dirt into the air, impairing Ganondorf's vision.

Navi alerted Link and he reluctantly turned back to face what was happening. Both of them as well…could not see what happened to Kratos.

The cloud of dirt was deep and remained in the air for over a minute and a half. Ganondorf just stared at the spot where his attack failed.

Losing his patience, he yelled at the cloud of dirt.

"Show yourself!"

A bright light lit up where Ganondorf, Link, and Navi were. Each of them turned away from the light and covered their eyes.

After seeing that the light was gone, each of them turned towards the spot where Kratos was.

And each of them was SHOCKED to say the least.

Kratos was standing where Ganondorf launched his magic attack. Only this time, his blue and white wings were out and slowly moving in the breeze.

Ganondorf just stared at him. "What kind of magic is this!?! What are you!?!"

Navi and Link were staring at Kratos the same way. Blinking, she whispered into Link's ear. "Ganondorf took the words right out of my mouth." Link turned to face the fairy, but did not reply. He was in pure shock and very confused.

Kratos just glared at Ganondorf and rushed him, Flameberg out.

_Grave!_

Sharp stones raised straight from the ground and block Ganondorf from dodging or side-stepping any of Kratos' next attacks.

_Double Demon Fang! _

Slicing his sword towards the ground twice, two energy blasts connect with Ganondorf's shins and the man flinched from the powerful magic attack.

But Kratos was not done yet.

_Lightning Blade! Super Lightning Blade!_

Kratos launched two powerful sword thrusts towards Ganondorf's chest, effectively breaking the black armor he wore.

However, Ganondorf readied a counterattack.

_BOOOM!_

Instead of hitting Kratos directly with another magic attack, he aimed it towards the ground and ruined the man's stance.

Kratos jumped backwards and landed gracefully with the aid of his wings and stared at Ganondorf.

Ganondorf just grasped his chest and chuckled.

"You are a powerful adversary Kratos Aurion." He then turned to face Link. "Much more than this kid!"

Kratos said nothing; he just continued to stare down at Ganondorf. Ganondorf just smiled.

"Join me Kratos! Together we can enslave and rule this country together."

"Humph." Kratos then sheathed Flameberg and put away Arredoval. "Your plan doesn't not interest me. Besides…I will not subjugate myself before you while you murder millions for your cause."

Ganondorf just threw his head back and laughed. "Heheheheh, a true servant of the Goddesses. Kratos, you don't understand...you will help me achieve the greatest source of power this world has to offer: The Triforce. Are you saying that you would rather subjugate yourself before the three Goddesses instead of becoming a God yourself?"

Kratos just stared down at Ganondorf. Then he just gave a simple reply. "It's not all that it's cracked up to be."

"HA! Hmm…you are a very stoic man Kratos. Everyone has at least one thing they crave that they could have. For me…its power! Power over everything. You…hmm, I feel that you would use the Triforce to…bring back…whatever you lost."

"…"

Ganondorf just smiled. "It is that, isn't it? You've lost something you hold so dear to your heart. Hmm…a relative perhaps…no…" Ganondorf's smile grew increasingly large. "Someone you once loved. Someone that has…passed on."

"…" Kratos said nothing. He was appalled at how Ganondorf had come to that conclusion.

"I can read you like a book Kratos Aurion. Join me, and I will allow you to…bring back…the person you loved."

In a fit of rage, Kratos got into casting position. "Sacred Powers, cast thy purifying light upon this corrupt soul. Rest in Peace Sinner!"

_JUDGMENT!!_

Giant streams of white light came down from the sky. However, none of them were able to hit their mark on the one, lone target out there.

Ganondorf used this to his advantage. He got on his horse and raced out of site just as the blasts of light were ending their attack.

Kratos just stared at the spot on the horizon where Ganondorf's figure disappeared from site.

In the meantime, Link and Navi just walked up to Kratos, faces pale from what just transpired.

"What the heck just happened!?" Kratos turned towards Link and his wings faded away, making Link flinch. Kratos didn't say anything to Link. Instead, he turned to Noishe.

"Noishe, I need you to stay at Lon Lon Ranch for now. I need to be able to protect Link when we go through this half-destroyed town over-run by monsters."

Noishe just nodded and turned to face Link and Navi; both of them, still as confused. He then turned back to Kratos.

"**Looks like the secret's out huh?"** Kratos just closed his eyes.

"It would appear so. Get going!" Noishe nodded and ran towards Lon Lon Ranch.

Kratos then turned towards Link and Navi.

"We need to get going now." He started to walk away but Navi flew straight to his face.

"No! You're going to explain what just happened here, NOW!" Kratos didn't respond. Instead he turned towards Link, who was still staring at him.

"Link, I'm sure you saw the princess throw something into the moat. Can you please retrieve it?"

Link didn't move for a second, his mind still plagued by what just happened. However, a simple glare from Kratos and the events he just witnessed…he decided to do what Kratos said.

Diving into the water, Link swam and swam until a bright blue object caught his eye. He reached out to it and retrieved it.

Link then swam back to the surface and got a good look at the object he was holding. It was shiny blue Ocarina. It looked just like his Fairy Ocarina, only this one was made of clay and had a miniature Triforce on it.

However, before he was able to take in the site of it further, his mind went blank and images of Zelda flooded his mind.

"_Link…can you hear me?"_

_Images of a stone altar flowed through Links mind. He stood before her, the girl of his dreams._

_In front of the altar, stood Princess Zelda herself._

"_Link, when you hold the Ocarina in your hand…I won't be around anymore…"_

_In his vision, Zelda stood with her eyes closed, clutching the blue Ocarina in her hands. She seemed…sad._

"_I wanted to wait for you…but I couldn't delay any longer…"_

_She turned around, away from the altar and put the Ocarina to her lips, eyes still closed._

"_At least I can leave you with the Ocarina and this melody…"_

_Link stared as he grasped the same Ocarina as Zelda, and began to play the song she was playing as well._

_The notes filled the room with an other worldly ambiance, similar to the site of what Kratos really was…some kind of messager from the Goddesses._

_The images faded from Link's mind. But he heard Zelda's voice one last time._

"_Please Link. Play this song in front of the altar of the Temple of Time. You must protect the Triforce!"_

"!!"

"Link!"

Link opened his eyes, seeing both Kratos and Navi over him. Kratos looked over Link with slight worry in his eyes.

"Are you alright?"

Link just blinked at Kratos' words. "…Fine. But Kratos…you have to explain to us…what are you?"

Navi turned over to Kratos as well. Kratos just sighed. "I will explain later…you have my word. Right now, we must stop Ganondorf any way we can."

Navi just sighed. "…I hate to admit it…but your right."

"WAIT!" Kratos and Navi turned towards Link. "While I was…unconscious, Zelda told me how to get the Triforce." Kratos and Navi looked at each other before turning back to Link.

* * *

After racing through a half-destroyed town, the three of them arrived inside the Temple of Time.

After closing the giant doors, Link stopped to catch his breath and pointed towards the Stone Altar.

"There…we put…the stones…there!" Kratos nodded and reached inside his wingpack. First, he placed the Kokiri Emerald on the specified place. Then the Goron's Ruby. And finally, the Zora's Saphire."

Nothing happened.

Kratos turned back towards Link.

"Now what?"

Link slowly walked up towards the altar and grasped the Ocarina of Time in his hands. He turned to Kratos. "I play the Song of Time…and then we'll see what happens."

Kratos closed his eyes and nodded, urging Link to play the song.

Link closed his eyes and played the song, filling the entire temple with the same feeling he felt when he was here in his vision.

After he was done, a bright light filled up the three Spiritual Stones. They started to levitate off the Altar a bit while a giant Triforce symbol lit up above a stone wall. Afterwards, the stone wall started to move, revealing another room of the Temple.

All three of them exchanged confused glances, and made their way into the secret room. Once inside, they didn't find the Triforce, rather, a beautifully crafted blade that could have rivaled the Eternal Sword.

Navi made her way to the blue-hilted blade, flying up and down erratically.

"Link, Kratos…this is the…Master Sword!"

Link and Kratos stared at the blade embedded in the stone below. Navi saw Link's confused face and rolled her eyes.

"This legendary Sword was made to combat all evil. However, legends say that it could only be wielded by the Hero of Time."

"Hero of Time...hmm?" Kratos wondered out loud.

Link just sighed. "Great. We don't find the legendary Triforce, but this sword that I probably couldn't even pull out." Kratos' eyes widen and he turns to Link.

"Wait, Link…try to pull out the sword."

Link turns to Kratos and just blinks. "Kratos…that sword is stuck in stone. How do you expect me to pull it out?"

"You need to trust me." Navi blinked and flew up to Kratos.

"Why should we…fairy boy." Link chuckles a bit but Kratos just sighs.

"Link…just trust me." Link stops chuckling and glances to Kratos and then the sword.

"…alright…I'll try."

Walking up the stone steps…Link reaches for the hilt and pulls.

The sword slightly budges…and light starts coming out of the stone. Link's eyes widened and then pulls on it harder.

_Claaaang!_

The sword comes straight out of the stone, engulfing Link, Kratos, and Navi in blue light.

**Me: gasp…all in one sitting.**

**Martel: Things are starting to heat up.**

**Me: It gets fun from here on out. Review?**


	23. A Dark New World

**Me: Yeah, didn't expect me back this fast now did you people?**

**Martel: I sure didn't!**

**Me: Zip it Tree Spirit! **

**Martel: (sighs) Fine! ShadowV doesn't own LoZ or ToS**

Chapter 23

A Dark New World

_Claaaang!_

Gripping the Master Sword as tight as he could, Link had successfully lifted the sword out of its embedded stone prison. As soon as the sword was free, bright blue light engulfed Link, Kratos, and Navi, making each of them black out.

_Heheheheh!_

However, before Link blacked out, he heard the cold, dark laugh, of Ganondorf.

* * *

"_Link."_

Silence.

"_Wake up…Link, the chosen one…"_

Groggily, images of a blue altar filled Link's head as he opened his eyes. Finding it very hard to just stand up…he took in his sights as he tried to get his bearings.

Link found himself standing in the middle of a great blue altar, surrounded by many symbols of various colors. The space outside the altar was darkened in a mid-night blue color; almost an everlasting space of nothingness.

"K-Kratos…N-Navi? Aah!" Link's left hand went up to his throat, alarmed. For some reason, his voice was a lot deeper in tone, almost sounding like he was…older.

He was not the only one alarmed. To his right, stood Kratos and Navi flying around him.

Kratos was taking in the sight of Link. The boy was a least a foot taller and his face was thinner; more angled.

Kratos raised his eyebrows at the boy. If he didn't know any better, Link looked like he was—

"Ah, finally you and your companion are awake." Link saw a man standing on one of the yellow colored symbols on the giant blue altar. Kratos turned around to see him as well.

The man was a very old and somewhat overweight. His wrinkly face was complimented by one of the strangest beards Link had ever seen. It went down the sides of his face and met around by his mustache. He wore a large yellow robe with a red and white cross design in the middle of the robe.

The man stared at Link intently.

"It is good to see you Link and Kratos. I am Rauru, one of Hyrule's ancient Sages. Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm."

Rauru then lifted his arms and looked around the room he, Link, and Kratos was in. "This is the Chamber of the Sages, inside the Temple of Light which resides inside the Sacred Realm. This Temple is the last stronghold against Ganondorf's evil forces."

'Huh, what is he talking about?' Link thought, as he took another look around the room he was in. Link also noticed that Kratos and Navi were…strangely silent and were not looking directly at him. He decided to put it out of his mind and turned his attention back to where Rauru was standing.

"The Master Sword—the evil destroying blade that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time…was the final key to the Sacred Realm." Link's eyes widened. "Link, don't be alarmed, look at yourself."

The blue floor of the room lit up and functioned like a mirror with Rauru's magic.

As soon as Link saw his reflection in the floor, he nearly fell over.

Link rubbed his eyes after seeing his image in the floor and just stared at himself. He was no longer a child, but almost a fully grown adult. His face was more angled now, no longer like a child's face and he noticed that his nose and large ears have grown by a lot. His clothes largely, remained the same; he still wore his Kokiri tunic, hat, and boots. However, Link now wore white legging tights and wore excellently crafted leather gauntlets on both of his arms. His Kokiri Sword and Shield were replaced by the Master Sword he pulled out of the Pedestal of Time and the Hylian Shield he found inside one of the grave stones in Kakiriko Village.

All in all, Link was shocked beyond belief and knew why Kratos and Navi refused to say anything to him at first.

Kratos then walked over to Link while Navi flew around him nonstop. Kratos just looked him over as well. "Link…are you alright?"

Slowly, Link just glanced up to Kratos and stared at him for a couple of seconds without responding. "Am I okay!?! Kratos…I'm…I'm...I'm like…twenty years old now!"

"Actually, you're just seventeen Link." Both Link and Kratos glanced over to Rauru.

"The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch. Only one worthy of the title of 'Hero of Time' can pull it from the Pedestal of Time."

Link felt his heart drop and he glanced down at his reflection again, whispering. "I-I'm…the Hero of Time?" He glanced up again and saw Rauru nodding.

"However, you were too young to be the Hero of Time. Therefore, you…and your companions Navi and Kratos…were sealed inside the Sacred Realm…for seven years."

All three of their eyes widened. Link felt his heart drop from his chest a second time. "Seven years…I-I can't believe it."

"Believe it Link." Link turned to Kratos. "You are the undeniable proof that all of us have been here for seven years." Kratos then turned to narrow his eyes at Rauru. "Though I've accepted this fact Link, I do not like it anymore than you do." Rauru sighed.

"I too, as well. At any rate, though Link opened the Door of Time in the name of peace, Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo Thieves used it to enter this forbidden Sacred Realm!"

"What?!" Link's eyes widened and Kratos sighed.

"He used us…to get his hands on the Triforce." Rauru slowly nodded.

"Yes…and with its power, he became the 'King of Evil' and transformed the land of Hyrule…into a desolate wasteland. My power alone now, is only a tiny spark, surrounded by a shroud of darkness."

Link's legs felt so weak from hearing all the hopeless information Rauru was telling him.

"But there is still hope…" Link's eyes perked up and he glanced over, back at Rauru. "Namely, the power of the Sages. Link, if you can transverse this land and awaken all of the Sages…then the Sage's Seal will be able to contain all of Ganondorf's evil power inside the Sacred Realm."

Link took a deep breath and exhaled very slowly after hearing all of this important information. Turning to Kratos, he smiled, and then he glanced back to Rauru. "What could we do?"

Rauru tilted his head. "We? No Link. It is the duty of the Hero of Time to restore all of the Sages, not this…Angel traveling around with you." Link just shook his head.

"I still need more training to be…the Hero of Time." Link then glanced back to Kratos. "Only Kratos can teach me how to be a good swordsman. Yesterday…ah…seven years ago…he almost beat Ganondorf; I need a teacher like him!" Kratos just blinked at Link's outburst.

"Link."

Rauru looked like he was having a head-ache. After a minute or so, he turned back to face Link. "Alright, fine. But only Link has the power to destroy Ganondorf. Kratos, no matter how powerful he is, cannot destroy Ganondorf!"

Link closed his eyes and bowed before the Sage. "Thank you Rauru." Rauru nodded.

"You're welcome. Now Link, to fight Ganondorf, you must save all six Sages and use their power to seal away Ganondorf. Take my power with you, to begin the fight against the Evil King."

Raising his arms, Rauru caused the light in the room to grow bright momentarily and out of the sky, a yellow medallion fell down. Link held out his arms and grabbed it. The medallion was at least the size of his adult hands and had a leather string around. It didn't take a genius for Link to put it around his neck.

After the medallion was safely around his neck, he put it on the inside of his clothes, to keep it out of public eye.

Rauru smiled, but finally remember something. "Oh and one more thing." He turned his attention, not to Link, but to Kratos.

"Kratos Aurion, during the first…two years or so you were sealed here…something was always constantly…beeping from you. However, after about the third year came along, it just stopped."

Kratos turned over to the man, a serious expression on his face. "Wait, was it coming from this?" Kratos went into his wingpack, and pulled out his holo-com, which was indeed flashing.

Rauru shook his head. "I don't know what it was, but it just annoyed me a lot." Kratos turned on his holo-com and saw he had 1137 unheard messages; all from Yuan. He continued to graze over all of them, his face slightly losing his emotional composure after each message he went over.

Link noticed his distress and walked over to him. "What's wrong Kratos?" Kratos turns over to Link, and Link feels for the first time in his life, truly afraid. Kratos…was on the verge of tears.

"Link…it's wiped out. Gone." Navi flew over to Kratos, confused.

"What's gone?" Kratos turns to her, and swallows the large lump in his throat.

"Symphonia…my home world, has been overrun by demons from Niflheim."

* * *

The three of them are transported out of the Chamber of the Sages and end up back to where they were seven years ago, the Pedestal of Time. Link looked around in the room. It…seemed exactly the same seven years previous. Navi looked around as well. Kratos was downcast, emotionally destroyed from the news he heard from just skimming the messages Yuan sent him.

Link turned back to look at his teacher with pitying eyes. He still did not total understand what had happened, but he felt like he was partly responsible.

_!!_

Link and Kratos both turned back to see a lone figure fall from the ceiling of the Temple of Time.

He resembled one of those ninja's Link had heard about from Impa, the Shiekah. The ninja was a young man, about Link's age. He had long blond hair that partly covered his face and crimson red eyes like Kratos, if he had blond hair. He wore skin tight clothes that showed off all of his muscles and had the symbol of the Shiekah people on his chest, a red eye with a single tear, crying. The last thing that was mysterious about him was the cloth that covered most of his face except his eyes.

The young man just stared down at Link and Kratos was indifferent eyes.

"I've been waiting for you Hero of Time…" He then turned to Kratos who was only half paying attention. "I have also been waiting for you too, messager of the Goddesses…"

Kratos said nothing as Link just stared at the young man.

"When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages who dwell in the five temples."

"_One in a deep forest..."_

"_One on a high mountain…"_

"_One under a vast lake..."_

"_One within the house of the dead…"_

"_One inside a goddess of the sand…"_

"Together with the Hero of Time and the Angel of the Heavens, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world."

Link glanced back at Kratos who was now listening intently to the ninja. 'Angel of the Heavens…'

Turning back to the ninja, he continued. "I am Shiek, survivor of the Shiekahs. Link, the first Sage resides in the Forest Temple. However, equipped as you currently are, you can't even enter the temple. Head to Kakiriko village. You shall find what you seek there."

Link smiled at Shiek. "Thank you very—hey wait!" Too late, Shiek threw down a deku nut and disappeared.

Link sighed and turned to Kratos. "Kratos."

"…" No reply. Kratos didn't even look at him. Link walked over and put his hands on his shoulders.

"Listen to me, everything will be alright." At this, Kratos faces him.

"Link…I've lost everything that I hold dear to me. What's there to be alright about?"

Silence.

Kratos blinks, confused. Link looks like he's about to respond but his mouth stopped moving.

"Link?"

Kratos then turns to Navi, who is suspended in mid-air, frozen as well.

"_They cannot see or hear you right now Kratos Aurion."_

Kratos' blood freezes. He recognized those three voices. Out of the sky, came three bright lights, one green, one blue, and one red.

Each of the lights hits the ground, revealing the three Goddesses of Hyrule standing right in front of him.

Farore walked to Kratos. "We have stopped time to talk to you."

"Humph." Farore sighs, and pushed a few strands of her green hair out of her face.

"Please understand, we didn't know that you're world was in danger when we brought you here." Kratos glared at her, staring into her eyes.

"My family is dead. I have nothing to live for now. The peace…that we fought for, for so long, is gone in an instant."

"Please listen to us Kratos. There is still hope." Nayru said.

Kratos narrowed his eyes at her. "How? What can you possibly do?" This time Din walked forward.

"IF…Link can defeat Ganondorf, he'll be sent back to his own time…with you along with him." Kratos' eyes widened.

"I can get back to Symphonia; prevent the demons of Niflheim from taking over." Farore nodded.

"Yes…and no." Kratos tilted his head.

"What do you mean?" Nayru walked up to Kratos, but almost tripped over her feet.

"…Sorry, but you are needed here with Link a little while longer. But we shall contact you when you can go back."

Kratos was silent after hearing the information from the Goddesses. After a while…Kratos sighed.

"I don't have much of a choice do I now?" Din shook her head.

"Nope!" Kratos sighed.

"Alright then, but Link and Navi found out about me and my world. What part's can I not inform them about?"

Farore smiled. "You can say anything. However, do not mention anything about the three of us."

"I concur, now…let me let Link and Navi in the light about what's going on here."

The three Goddesses nodded and disappeared into three separate lights.

Time began to flow again, and Link began to speak again.

"If we save the world here, I'll do whatever I can to save your world." Kratos stared at Link. He smiled.

"Thank you Link. Now, I think it is about time to shed some light on my past." Link looked surprised that Kratos' mood changed so quickly and Navi then flew straight up to Kratos' face.

"Good! I've been waiting for this."

"Hmph, well it all starts with what happened before I came here. A battle for control of my world, Symphonia, was going on between my former friend Mithos…and my three sons; Lloyd, Orion and Al—

**Me: WHOA! Almost spoiled the plot of Aurion's Clone. Yes, Link's Teacher goes after Aurion's Clone. And Outer Heaven happens before Aurion's Clone. **

**Martel: No! What plot twists did you create?**

**Me: A lot. Review?**


	24. Sons of the Angel

**Martel: So ShadowV…did I ever tell you how handsome you look and—**

**Me: Forget it Martel, I'm not telling you any of my plot twists. If you want to know, read my other stories.**

**Martel: …You're just making people read your other stories.**

**Me: They have a choice. They can read my other stories or not. I'm not making them do anything.**

**Martel: Whatever, ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

Chapter 24

Sons of the Angel

Link just stared at Kratos, absolutely speechless. "Wow. That's a lot to take in."

Navi was exactly the same way. "Yeah, your story is unbelievable. But there are parts of it that I don't get." Kratos looked at her and didn't say anything for a second. Finally, he sighed.

"That's because, I started telling you my story when Orion and I joined the Chosen's group. A lot of things happened before and after the journey. However, I wish to leave the rest of my story for another day."

Link and Navi exchanged glances. Finally, they both nodded and Link smiled at Kratos. "I understand Kratos. Even I wouldn't want to tell the entire story of my life to someone I've only known for a couple of weeks." After saying those words, Navi bopped him in the head.

"Techniquely, we've known Kratos for seven years now." Link rolled his eyes at the fairy.

"Navi, we were all asleep most of the time, that doesn't count!" Navi crossed her arms and looked away from Link.

"Still…hey wait a minute. Kratos I have another question." Kratos sighed. He was constantly barraged with questions when he was telling the story of his last adventure to them.

"Yes what is it Navi?" However Navi did not say anything. She flew up to him and inspected his body, constantly flying over him over and over again.

Kratos just raised an eyebrow. "Well?" Navi looked up to him and just stopped.

"Oh…yes, well…you said that your world was kept alive with mana and said that mana was composed of everything: plants, animals, rocks, and people. You also said that without it, everything would die. My question is…how are you still alive…if no such mana source exists in Hyrule?" Kratos slowly took in her question and blinked. She was right, how was he still alive. Was this the work of the three goddesses…or was it…"

"I might have an answer to that question!" Kratos and Navi turned to Link, waiting for his theory.

Link rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Well, first let's ask: What is the definition of mana?" Navi flew over to him and rested on his head, contemplating Link's question.

"Well Link, according to Kratos…it is the life force that gives life to everything." Link smiled.

"Exactly, and the only life-giving force in Hyrule, our world, is the Triforce." Kratos' eyes widened.

'OF COURSE!'

Link further elaborated. "Think about it, according to the Great Deku Tree and Zelda, the Goddesses created the world by giving life to it and left the Triforce behind as a symbol of their power in the world. It's the only explanation."

Kratos nodded. "I believe that your words hold more wisdom than the tongues of men three times your age Link." Link smiled and Kratos looked around the Temple of Time.

"I believed I've told you two enough for today. Let us get moving, we have a long journey ahead of us now." Both Link and Navi nodded.

* * *

The three of them exited the Temple of Time to find that Rauru's words were the honest truth.

Castle Town and the actual land under their feet had been utterly decimated. The sky was a dark gray color and hung over the town, like a spider web. In the distance, the three of them could see Death Mountain, and the ominous red glowing cloud circling the mountain's peak.

"Link." Link turned over to Kratos and the angel was encouraging him to leave as soon as they could. The sights that came to the eyes of the three of them spelled no hope. All the buildings they passed in the Castle Town Square were condemned or burnt to the ground. The land around them was a dead brown color. But the worst of it was the new populous that inhabited the town now.

Redeads.

Kratos and Link hid behind some piles of rotten wood and got a good look of the Square separating Hyrule Field and…an eerie looking Castle where Hyrule Castle was supposed to be.

Both of them crouched down behind the wood after getting a good look of the Square.

"So Kratos…what do we do?" Kratos turned over to Link and raised his eyebrows.

"Link…you realize you are still my student, are you not?"

"Of course, but—"

"But nothing Link. Shiek and the Sages believe that you will bring peace to this world. I can't do it, but I can help you. Now…take another look out there and tell me what you would do to get passed all of those Redeads."

"R-right!" Link nodded his and looked up from his position at the Town Square.

There were about forty or fifty Redeads walking around aimlessly around the town. Running for the exit wouldn't work and fighting them all was out of the question.

Link continued to look for a solution before yelling out loud. "I GOT IT!!"

Unfortunately, the Redeads heard Link shout and turned to him and Kratos' hiding spot.

Navi flew out of his hat and bopped him on the head. "Idiot! No matter what age you are, you make a stupid mistake!" Link turned to Kratos who was glaring at him with blind fury.

Link put up his hands defensively. "Don't worry, I can fix this. Watch." Link then went into his pack and pulled out the Ocarina of Time Zelda gave him and put it to his lips.

Closing his eyes, he played the Sun's Song he learned when he and Kratos were in Kakiriko's graveyard. Light engulfed his entire body and shot up into the heavens.

After about five seconds, the light parted the clouds over the town and petrified all of the Redeads in the Square.

Link smiled and turned to Kratos. "So how'd I do?" However Kratos put his hand on the boy's shoulder and turned him around.

"You did what I expected you to do Link. All of the Redeads are in suspended animation…for the moment." Link just blinked.

"Wha—"

Kratos then pointed back towards the sky. The dark clouds were already starting to come back, to block out the sun again.

"It seems Ganondorf has total control of this area. We need to move, while the Redeads are still frozen." Link nodded and Navi flew back into the seventeen year old's hat.

Link and Kratos made a break for it, running towards the exit to Castle Town.

But not before each of them took a long glance at Ganon's Castle. Even from the distance the two of them were from it, it stood looking menacing, with the darkest clouds of evil surrounding the place.

"Come on." Link turned back to Kratos and kept on running.

* * *

Running over the broken drawbridge to Castle Town, the three of them finally made it outside, back to Hyrule Field.

Link sighed in relief while Kratos surveyed the land around them.

Hyrule Field looked no different than it did seven years ago. The dark clouds of Ganon's Castle and the Castle Town only reached out a few hundred feet passed the broken drawbridge. This allowed the sun's rays to beat down on the two of them and kept the grass around them alive.

Link smiled at the land and held out his hands to take in the sight before intentionally falling on his back to take in the feeling of grass.

"Man, at least this place is still relatively peaceful. I tell you Kratos, I'll willing to fight till my last breath to restore ALL of Hyrule back to what it originally was."

Kratos looked down at Link, lying down on the grass and smiled at the boy. Link saw the man's smile and laughed.

"What made you smile all of the sudden?"

"Nothing Link…it's just, you remind me of…my son." Interest pops up on Link's face and he sits up.

"Which one?"

"My first son, Lloyd. You and he share many of the same traits. He is such an idealist as you are."

Link smiled at Kratos. "However, like Lloyd, you aren't the smartest person in the world either." Link narrowed his eyes at Kratos while Navi snickered.

"He did whatever he could to save my world. In the end, it worked out for him."

Link stood up now, looking very curious. "What about you're other sons? You really didn't tell me anything about them."

Kratos rubbed his back uncomfortably. "…Yes, well there are only three words I can say to describe them."

Link raised his eyebrows and Navi came out of his hat.

"Yeah, and what are they?"

Kratos took a deep breath and sighed. "Les Enfantes Terribles."

Both Link and Navi exchange awkward glances. Navi then flew over to Kratos.

"What does that mean?"

Kratos turns to face her, with a serious expression on his face. "The Terrible Children."

Link and Navi remind silent for a while after that.

* * *

Link decided to drop the topic about Kratos' sons and soon the three of them were on their way to Kakiriko village. Reaching the village overnight, both Link and Kratos were surprised that they were not attacked by Stalchildren.

Link looked outside the gates of the village and just scratched his head, confused. "Why aren't they attacking us like before Kratos? I would think they would be even more powerful now that Ganondorf…pretty much rules Hyrule."

Kratos too, was curious about why there was no Stalchildren. Suddenly a thought came to him that answered the question.

"I have a theory Link." Link turned to the angel, curious to know his opinion.

Kratos stepped out the village gates and took a bit of the soil into his hands. "Well, I assume there's a reason they are called 'Stalchildren' right Link?" Link nodded.

"Yes, Navi says that they were child-like skeletons that rise up out of the ground and attack at night."

Kratos let go of the dirt he was holding and turned back to face Link. "What if…the Stalchildren only attack kids?"

Link's face scrunched up like he was getting ready to agrue against Kratos but another part of him considered Kratos' theory.

"Hmm…you may be right. Remember that time when we first were out in Hyrule Field and they only attacked me?" Kratos nodded.

"Exactly. Now come on, let's check into an inn for the night." Agreeing totally with Kratos, Link followed the man to the nearest inn in town and couldn't wait to get a good night sleep from walking for the first time in seven years.

* * *

The inn the three of them went to was very crowded. It was filled to the brim with refugees from the destroyed Castle Town. In his heart, Link was glad at least some people were able to escape the mass carnage that ensued the day Ganondorf invaded. However, because there were so many people, there was only the inn floor to sleep on for the night.

In the morning, Link and Kratos went down to the kitchens to get some food.

Since the inn was filled with so many people, the food there, in Link's opinion, was very subpar. For breakfast, Link was served a hard biscuit and a lukewarm bowl of oatmeal.

Kratos watched from across a small table as Link just played with his food by using his spoon to move it around, spread it out, etc.

"Eat breakfast Link. You'll need your strength." Link narrowed his eyes at the man and glanced back at his food.

"Easier said than done. You haven't eaten in seven years either Kratos. I KNOW for a fact that you have to be hungry."

Kratos turned his face away, not looking Link in the eye. "That's because I don't need to eat." This woke Navi up, who was just drooping on Link's shoulder at the time as well as getting Link's attention.

"What?! That's crazy Kratos, everyone needs to eat." Kratos sighed at Link and looked back at him.

"Not everyone. That's one of the advantages of being an angel. I don't have to eat, to get my energy. I can rely on mana for energy."

Link and Navi just stared at Kratos. Link then glanced from Kratos to his soup, to back at Kratos.

"You just have to be lucky not to eat this…crap huh?"

* * *

After a…filling breakfast, Link and Kratos went into town to see what had changed the most. Kakiriko village had grown a lot over time, probably to accommodate the surge in population after the refugees from Castle Town came in. There were more houses built and many of the existing buildings were bigger now, having either extra floors or more rooms.

After walking around town for about an hour, Link overheard from scared townsfolk that the ghost of Dampe was now haunting the graveyard he used to work at. Kratos dismissed the talk as a silly rumor but when Link overheard that he was guarding a special treasure, Link nearly raced to the graveyard to meet the ghost.

Kratos sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "This will not end well…"

**Me: That's good for now, not much of a chapter, but I updated pretty quickly.**

**Martel: Why did Kratos call Orion and…Al—ah…I don't know…the third son, The Terrible Children.**

**Me: That's a plot for Aurion's Clone. But I haven't written up to that point yet.**

**Martel: (sighs) Review?**


	25. Hookshots & Horses

**Me: Well, I'm back Martel.**

**Martel: So I hear you have a job now?**

**Me: Yep and school will be ending soon for me…then I'll be going back to take one summer class.**

**Martel: Fun…ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

Chapter 25

Hookshots and Horses

Kratos sighed. Even though Link was _physically _seventeen years old…he still had a child's mind. Link had went ahead and disobeyed Kratos by opening another grave to look for the so called 'ghost' of Dampe the gravekeeper.

Navi went with the boy, promising Kratos that she would watch over him.

As five minutes passed by, Kratos decided to check on something he hasn't throuoghly check on since the three of them were first transported seven years into the future: unread messages from his holo-com.

'Hmm…this will not be easy…but it has to be done.'

Activating the device, a miniature Yuan popped up on it.

_Date: June 13, 0002 A.R.W (After Reuniting the Worlds)_

_This is Yuan Kafei. _

…

_Kratos! Where are you?! Well a small situation has popped up. Since the reunitification of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, the two nations have been in…an uneasy peace. Both fear the other…and I'm afraid that if we don't take action soon, we may see a new Kharlan War. For safety reasons, I haven't left the World Tree because it and Martel may be endanger from either country. Especially since the rise of the Vanguard in Sylvarant and their coup d'état of Sylvarant's government._

_Please reply back soon. Orion is still missing, Ocelot is lost, and I have only Lloyd to rely on right now. _

Kratos was silent. Something…something happened on Symphonia. Kratos glanced back to the open grave and found no sign of Link. Glancing back to his holo-com, Kratos scrolled down to the most urgent of messages.

_Date: December 22, 0002 A.R.W._

_This is Yuan Kafei. I now know that you're probably…gone now Kratos but…recording these messages calms me down quite a bit nowadays. _

_An old friend of ours is still alive. Ratatosk. He lives within the body of someone else and is planning on taking back the Giant Tree that Martel guards right now. I have Lloyd trying to prevent him from doing so…but…ever since the Blood Purge of Palmacosta, people have been very wary of him. _

_An even bigger problem however, is the growing amount of violence around the world because of rivalry and hate between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. The door that Ratatosk is guarding is becoming more and more unstable each day. I'm doing everything I can to quail the fighting, but I don't have enough man-power to do everything._

Kratos finished listening to that one message and decided that, that was enough for now. There was no immediate need to listen to everything now.

Putting away his holo-com, out of the corner of his eye, Kratos saw Link running towards him from the entrance of the graveyard.

With a cocky smirk, Link stopped right in front of Kratos.

"You wouldn't _believe _what I had to go through to get…_this!_" Reaching into his pack, Link pulled out what looked like some kind of metal spring loaded weapon.

Link just stared in awe at his new toy. "Look what it can do!" Slipping the device over his left hand, Link aimed his arm towards the now vacant house of Dampe the grave keeper.

_Thwaaang!_

The top metal part of the device fired out, towards Dampe's roof and stuck to it. With the heavy duty spring attached to the metal part of the device and device itself, Link was pulled towards Dampe's roof and was now standing on top of it.

Link yelled at the top of his lungs at Kratos. "PRETTY COOL, HUH KRATOS!!"

Navi flew over to Kratos and rested on his shoulder. "He's always going to be a kid at heart, huh?"

Kratos closed his eyes for a moment and subtly replied. "Let's hope so…"

* * *

"Again Link."

Huffing and puffing, Link held up his tired arms, holding both the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield in his hands. Then…he took off towards Kratos.

"Haaaaaaaaaaah!"

Kratos dodged Link's opening stabbing move and parried against his next set of vertical and horizontal slices.

_Slice! Slice! Clang!_

"You're holding your sword too tightly; loosen up your grip Link." Link nodded and relaxed his fingers a bit more and came after Kratos again.

Kratos merely side-stepped Link's attacks and parried Link's next attacks again, knocking the Master Sword right out of his hand.

Kratos then sighed. "Now you're holding it too lightly." Link's face twisted into a rage.

"I'M SORRY ALRIGHT! I'M DOING MY BEST! GET OFF MY BACK ALREADY!" Navi turned towards him, concerned.

"Link…what was all that about?" After venting himself, Link blinked and glanced towards the fairy.

"I…I don't know." Link took a deep breath and then exhaled. "I guess I felt like I needed to yell at something."

"Hmm…this is to be expected."

Both Link and Navi turned to Kratos. "Your mind has not yet caught up to your fully grown adult body. Many of the new things you must be feeling are a result of more stress, higher rate of metabolism, and of course…puberty."

Navi took a glance at Link and immediately flew over to Kratos. "I'm not saying anything to him about…" Navi shuddered. "…puberty." Kratos just sighed.

"I was afraid I'd have to do this." Link just stared at the both of them, still confused.

"What are you two talking about? Does this have to do with more secrets about you Kratos?"

"…No Link, I'll tell you…everything you need to know…later." Link just blinked and tilted his head.

"Um…sure…okay. Let's get back to training now Kratos. I made up a new sword move, check this out!" Sword in hand, Link rolled left, around Kratos, and jumped up delivering a sword slash behind the angel. It was just for show and Link didn't actually hit Kratos, but Kratos admired the versatility Link had with his swordsmanship.

Link smirked at Kratos. "I call that move, the BACKSLICE. What do you think?"

Kratos humphed. "Let's see how you can use it in battle first Link."

Link smiled. "You're on!"

* * *

After training with Kratos in the morning, all three of them decided to have some lunch before heading out towards Kokiri Forest. Rather than having the bland, disgusting lunch like the rest of the refugees, Link asked Kratos to make lunch.

But Kratos chuckled a bit. "I can't Link. I don't have any ingredients."

Link was wide eyed. "What?! You're lying. I remember on Death Mountain when you made those sandwiches and—"

"Exactly Link…on Death Mountain…SEVEN years ago." Link was speechless.

"So…all that food and supplies you had. They're…"

"Expired and/or rotted. Sorry but you'll have to deal with the food they serve here."

Link grumbled to himself as he went back towards the Inn they were at in the morning and got himself a less than desired lunch.

After…forcing his food down, Kratos, Link, and Navi headed out of Kakiriko village and made their way towards the Kokiri Forest.

And Link was bored. He thought about the state of the world, what has changed, what hasn't changed, but his thoughts did little to keep him busy as he walked.

So he started whistling some of the Ocarina songs he learned. This earned him very sharp glares from both Navi and Kratos.

Needless to say, Link quit his whistling.

Then it hit him. "Wait guys! Kratos, I forgot to show you the _new _song I learned when I came out of Dampe's grave. I came into the house with the windmill in Kakiriko village and some guy with a music box taught me a song. He seemed…angry about though.

Kratos raised his eyebrows. "Really…what is it?" However, Navi remembered what song Link learned.

"Wait! No Link!" But it was too late. Link started playing …the Song of Storms. Almost immediately, the effect of the song summoned dark, gray clouds to the sky.

Water started coming down hard and Navi flew under Link's hat to escape the rain. Kratos took a long glance of Hyrule field. It was too open to find anything to hide under to escape the rain Link summoned.

"…Nice song Link." Link tried to innocently smile but something in the distance caught his eye.

"Kratos…isn't that…Lon Lon Ranch?" Kratos turned around and his enhanced vision confirmed it. Kratos turned over towards a soaked Link.

"Let's get moving."

And so they ran. The song Link learned summoned pouring rain, lightning, and high winds. It was also a relatively cool day as well, about 64 degrees F (18 C). The results…a very cold Link and Navi.

They were almost there; the ranch was coming into full view. Kratos turned to Link wondering. "Link, you said that the man who taught you the Song of Storms was angry about the song…why?"

Link shrugged his shoulders. "All he said was that seven years ago, a boy with an ocarina played that song and—" Link almost stopped running, but his body willed him to get out of the cold, harsh rain.

Link turned wide-eyed. "Kratos…do you think it was…me seven years ago?" Kratos shook his head.

"That couldn't be. You just learned that song just now. You didn't know it as a kid and I doubt we can go back to the past anytime soon."

They finally got under the patio of the Lon Lon Ranch house, happy that they got out of the rain. Link huffed and fell to the ground, exhausted and Navi flew out of Link's wet hat, utterly soaked. Kratos however, remained standing and looked around non-stop.

After about five minutes, Link's breathing had almost returned to normal and he glanced towards Kratos. "What are you looking for?"

Closing his eyes, Kratos replied. "An old friend."

* * *

Waiting around for another half an hour, the rain from the Song of Storms let up and the sun came out from the clouds. Now that it was sunny, Link could tell what changed around this place and what remained the same.

The buildings were roughly the same except that some of the wood was rotting and the paint was losing its color. The entire ranch seemed to have lost a lot of its luster. The grass, albeit wet, was a whitish green; probably from not being watered enough.

The animals themselves at the ranch looked tired and not well fed. Link watched the horses run around in the large pen, trying to dry themselves off. Link glanced over to Kratos.

"I'm going to look for Malon. How bout we split up while you look for Noishe?" Kratos nodded.

"Alright, be careful." Link nodded and turned around towards the horse pen. As Navi went with Link, Kratos made his way into the Ranch's barn."

* * *

As Link made his way around to horse pen, he saw the familiar face of the ranch hand Ingo. Only this time, Ingo was wearing not his blue overalls, but very fancy clothing and he was staring at the horses with greed in his eyes.

Turning over to Link, he smiled. "Some people have been spreading rumors that I cheated Talon out of the ranch."

'What!? Cheated Talon.' Link thought.

"But he was a lazy fool. I, the hard working Ingo poured so much energy into this place. Even the Great Ganondorf himself recognized my talents and gave the ranch to me!" Ingo then eyed Link with a twinkle of greed in his eyes.

"Say young man, would you like to ride one of my fine horses? Ten minutes for ten rupees."

Link stared at the man and contemplated his offer. But then, something caught his eye. The white mane, the red body. Malon's horse was running around in the pen. Link smiled at Ingo and reached into his pockets.

"Deal!"

* * *

Closing the door behind him, Kratos walked into the barn of Lon Lon Ranch. Inside were the ranch's dairy cows.

"Hmm…" Looking at them, Kratos could tell that they were not in the best of shape like they were seven years ago. Their eyes were dull and their coats were not as shiny as before.

"_Shhh, be quiet Noishe."_

Kratos immediately turned towards a seemingly dead end wall on the other side of the barn. However, crates moved over to the side to reveal a hidden passage way and a grown up Malon.

Kratos eyes widened at the number of similarities both Malon and Anna had. The same eyes, nose; it was hard to turn away.

However Kratos came to his senses when Malon bowed before him.

"Hello and welcome to Lon Lon—sorry, I mean—welcome to _Ingo's _Ranch. What do you need Mr.—"

Kratos tilts his head. "Aurion. Kratos Aurion." Malon nearly dropped the bucket she was holding.

"Kratos!? Then…Link…is he!?" Kratos slowly nodded.

"Yes, he was looking for you. Malon what happened here?" Malon ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.

"Well, you see…"

* * *

"…and after Talon _left_ I took over running the ranch. Amazing story don't you think boy?"

Link was riding around the pen on the back of Epona. His eyes were drooping from Ingo's non-stop shouting. "It was…interesting."

"Heheh, it was, wasn't it? Oh! Sorry young man but your time is up." Link shrugged and got off Epona and petted her nose. Epona closed her eyes and enjoyed it while Ingo watched.

"You were a pretty good first time rider kid. Say…how about we race. And not just for fun, let's have a friendly…wager. 50 rupees each and the winner takes all."

Link turned to him and smiled. "Sure!" Throwing Ingo a purple rupee, Link turned to Epona. "Let's see what you can really do!"

* * *

"…and that's the story. Ingo suddenly became possessed with power and drove Daddy out and took over."

Kratos closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. But how about we help out your situation."

"What? You and Link would help us?" Kratos nodded.

"He wouldn't want to keep one of his friends living like this. Speaking of friends…does Ingo _know _about Noishe." Malon gasped and her eyes widened.

"…uh…no…he doesn't. After the burning of Castle Town Noishe came here. I've been keeping him inside a secret room in the barn to protect him from Ganondorf. I let him run around the ranch at nights though so he can get exercise. But around two years ago…something weird happened with your dog."

Kratos' eyes widened. "Please, let me see him!"

**Me: That's good.**

**Martel: What happened to me in Yuan's message.**

**Me: can't hear you! Review?**


	26. Fenrilras and…Puberty

**Me: Yes!! Exams are done! Summer Vacation is on!**

**Martel: You do know that you go back to school next week and begin working right?**

**Me: …Stop spoiling my moment. I don't own ToS or LoZ**

Chapter 26

Fenrilras and…Puberty

"Nooooooooo!!!"

Ingo clutched his head in utter embarrassment as he saw Link cross the finish line riding Epona.

Riding up to Link, he was nearly trembling. "If the Great Ganondorf found out about this humiliation…Hey kid! How about another race? If you win again…you can keep…the horse!"

Link blinked and just smiled. "Alright then Ingo."

Link smirked to himself as they got back to the starting position. 'I know we'll win.' Link then reached over and petted Epona's nose, lovingly.

Each of them walked their horses to the starting lines. Both Ingo and Link exchanged determined glances.

"Three…Two…Yaaah!" Ingo took off prematurely. Growling to himself, Link urged Epona to take off.

Around the horse pen the two of them went. Link had caught up to Ingo who was racing on top of a dark brown mare. Narrowing his eyes, Ingo lowered his back to pick up a little more speed. His horse slowly started to pull away from Link's as they reached the half-way mark on the track.

Link lowered his body as well and whispered into Epona's ears. "Come on Epona! You can do it! Beat Ingo, and you're free."

Filled with a shining new purpose, Epona started to pick up speed as well and caught up to Ingo as the both of them saw the finish line come into sight.

"Faster Epona!" Epona was neck and neck with Ingo and got slightly ahead just as the both of them crossed the finish line.

Slowly to a trot, Link and Epona tried to regain their breath as Ingo fell off of his horse out of shock.

"Nooooo!! Is that Epona?! How were you able to tame such a wild horse…grrrrrrrrr!" Ingo clutched his head in frustration. However, a second later, he regained a very calm demeanor.

"Humph, very well. You can keep the horse." Link's eyes widened and he jumped off Epona and hugged her.

"But…"

Both Link and Epona glanced over to Ingo as he closed the gate that locked up the Ranch's fields.

"You can NEVER leave! Muhahahahah!!!!" Ingo laughed manically and even the sun retreated as shadow once again covered Lon Lon Ranch.

"…No." Link turns to Epona and pets her nose. "I'm sorry Epona, I tried."

Suddenly, Epona's eyes widened as Link petted her nose and she stood up on her hind legs and kicked her feet in the air.

Link took a step back reflexively to avoid getting kicked. He ran over to her side and tried to calm her down.

"Shhh…Epona, what is it? Link glanced over towards the ground and a cold shiver went down his spine.

The shadow that covered Lon Lon Ranch was…moving. Link watched the large shadow on the ground and determined that whatever it was, it had to be at least twelve to fifteen feet long.

Ingo looked up to the sky and his face was pale white. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

Up in the sky, was a large creature. It was white and green and two people were riding it.

"Dive Noishe." Noishe glanced back at Kratos and howled. He dived very fast towards the ground, picking up a lot of speed. They were aiming for Ingo.

Malon's eyes were filled with light, adrenaline, and hope. "This is for destroying the ranch Ingo!" Kratos held out his hand as he silently chanted.

_Lightning!_

Blue light struck Ingo in the head and the man hit the ground doubling over in pain.

Kratos smirked to himself as Malon pulled the man into a fierce hug while Noishe howled in delight.

Link just looked on at the two of them with pride as Noishe landed near him and Epona. Malon jumped off Noishe and raced towards Link with a smile on her face.

"Uff!"

She tackled Link to the ground and clutched him to the dear life. "Link! It's so good to see you again after all of these long years. Don't you ever disappear again!"

Link chuckled to himself. "I'll try not to Malon. …Can you get off me now?" Malon blushed at the way she was on top of the Hero of Time and quickly got off of him.

Link felt…odd to say the least for one thing. Malon was hugging him so hard that he felt that his body was being crushed. But…as the girl got off of him, some part of Link regretted that she was off of him. However, Link pushed that thought to the back of his head as he turned and got a good look at Noishe.

Kratos was getting off of his back and Link noticed that Noishe had grown at least three or five more feet in length since the seven year absence. He looked roughly the same except for his long wings at his side.

However Kratos didn't seem as surprised as Link, so he ran over to Kratos. "Okay Kratos. I know for a fact now…that Noishe is not a dog. What kind of animal is he?"

"I wanna know too?" Malon met up with both of them and even Navi came out of Link's hat, waiting for an explanation.

Kratos looked at their faces and sighed. "Well, from my world, Noishe is a part of the species that first walked the Earth: Protozoans."

All three of their heads tilted, and Kratos further elaborated. "Protozoans are the first life forms to walk Symphonia, my world, after the Giant Tree was planted. They are creatures of change, and spend their entire life evolving."

"Wow!" Malon gazed at Noishe as he walked up to her and licked her face. She laughed and tried to push his face away from hers.

Kratos eventually pulled Noishe back as he whinned in disappointment. "Anyway, when the Giant Tree made first contact with the Earth, the Protozoans were born as single celled organisms. Later on, they evolved into a fish-like animal called Aquans. After that, they leave the water and evolve into bird-like creatures called Aeros. That's when I first met Noishe."

Link glanced at Noishe. "Isn't he already some kind of bird?" Kratos shook his head.

"No, his bird form was smaller. It was slightly larger than some of the Cuckoos at this ranch."

"Aww, he must have been so cute!" Malon put her arms around Noishe in delight.

"He was…cute. Martel would say the same thing. After his Aeros stage, Noishe evolved into the form you know him from Link: an Arshis, an animal that runs like the wind blows." Link and Navi glanced over at Noishe.

"So that's how he was able to run so fast!" Navi flew towards Noishe and inspected him.

"But now, he's evolved into what is known as a Fenrilra, a mix of his Aeros and Arshis stages. So now he flies again while retaining his ability to run."

Link knelt down and looked Noishe in the eye. However Noishe narrowed his eyes.

"**Quit staring at me Blondie!"**

"Whoa!!" Link backed away from Noishe, almost knocking over Kratos. Turning over to the angel, Link struggled to get his words out.

"Kr-Kratos! W-When did Noishe learn to t-talk?!?" Kratos tilted his head confused.

"That can't be right. You shouldn't be able to hear him." Link's eyes widened.

"You mean that Noishe was talking the whole time?! Even seven years ago?!"

Kratos nodded. "Yes, he's very intelligent."

"**Kratos!" **Kratos leaned down and Noishe whispered in his ear. Malon, Link, and Navi watched the whole seen and all of them were sweatdropping.

"Ahahaah!" Kratos laughed out loud and Link was surprised. He had never seen Kratos laugh that much before.

* * *

Kratos and Link explained what had happened in their absence. Malon was a little hesitate to believe them until Link unsheathed the Master Sword. Needless to say, Malon started to believe their whole story and invited them to spend the night at the ranch. Malon enlisted the Hyrulian mail man to deliver priority mail over to Kakiriko village to Talon so that he could take over running the ranch again.

Kratos in the meantime carried Ingo's unconscious body to his room and laid him in his bed.

After Malon mailed her letter, she saw Kratos coming out of Ingo's room.

"How is he?"

"He'll live, but I doubt he'll have any memories of the events that took place before his 'accident.'

Malon nodded as she took the information in. "Kratos…I need to thank you once again for what you and what Link did for this place."

"Think nothing of it Malon. I also must thank you for looking over Noishe as well."

"MALON!!" Kratos and Malon turned towards the source of Link's voice.

"Malon…where do you keep the fresh Lon Lon—" As soon as Link came into view, he stopped talking, dead.

Link finally got a good look at how well Malon looked grown up. Her red hair is much longer, reaching down to her mid-back while her blue eyes are filled with the bright light of twilight coming in from one of the windows. But what catches Link's eyes the most about Malon now is the new curves on her body. Malon's hips were much more noticeable and the same holds true for her breasts that Link couldn't help but stare at.

Kratos finally notices this as Malon blushes from being stared at in such away and speaks up. "Link…why don't you get fresh milk from the cows in the barn. I'm sure that now Malon is back in charge, they will be much more friendlier now."

"Uh…yeah…milk." Link tears his gaze away from Malon and leaves the hallway and out of the house as Kratos sighs.

Meanwhile Malon is silent for a couple of minutes. "…Kratos…you said that you, Link, and Navi were trapped in the Sacred Realm for seven years…right?"

Kratos nodded slightly. He knew where this was going.

"Well…did you teach Link about…puberty yet?"

Silence.

Malon started to glare at him.

"Well!?" Kratos sighed and shook his head.

"I've been meaning to tell him about this…but…" He looked Malon in the eye.

"It's hard Malon." Malon took a deep breath.

"…Well, if you want, I can help tell Fairy Boy too." A smile slowly formed on Kratos' face.

"Thank you."

* * *

The sun had set on Hyrule field and Link was still in the middle of the field petting Epona.

Soon, both Kratos and Malon were walking towards him; both of them feeling a little nervous.

"Link!" Link turned around to face them and saw their nervous expressions.

"Hey…what's with the long faces. Did Ingo die?" Malon shook her head.

"No Link. Kratos…and I…have something to tell you. Something, that everyone learns earlier on in their life but because of the…circumstances, we have decided to tell you now."

Link smiled. "It can't be that bad. It seems like you're going to say I'm dying or something."

Kratos chuckled. "No…but you'll feel like dying after the both of us are done talking. You see Link…now that you're grown up, your body has gone through a lot of…changes. Some of them are more obvious than others but there is information that you need to know about these changes."

Link started to feel slightly uncomfortable. "I'm not sure I am liking where this is going."

However, Kratos continued without listening to Link. "You see Link, when a man has strong feelings for a women…strong…urges…he—

**Me: Sorry folks. I'm keeping this rated T. However, I will be testing the bar a lot.**

**Martel: Aww, Link's learning all about the facts of life. Review?**


	27. Return to the Forest

**Me: Hello everyone. I made Peanut Butter Cookies last night. Aren't they good Martel?**

**Martel: For once, I have to agree with you. ShadowV doesn't own ToS or LoZ. He does own these yummy cookies.**

Chapter 27

Return to the Forest

Kratos and Link walked toward the Kokiri Forest in silence. After Kratos and Malon explained to him about the changes his body was going through and the facts of life, Link hardly said a word to either of them.

The morning after, Kratos and Link said their good-byes to the ranch girl and Malon decided to let Link borrow Epona for his adventure. Noishe had decided that he would travel with Kratos and Link as well, since he had been cooped up inside Lon Lon Ranch for the past seven years.

So Link riding Epona with Navi sleeping inside his hat as well as Kratos riding on Noishe, the small group headed towards the Kokiri Forest in silence. Kratos glanced at Link every once in a while and whenever he did, Link would awkwardly turn away or look at the ground.

Finally Kratos had to break the silence.

"Link, I know that you're feeling embarrassed and confused but, you are on a journey to save Hyrule. You can't let this distract you." Link glanced over to Kratos, still feeling uneasy.

"I know you're right Kratos. It's just…my entire understanding of the world has been…changed. The Great Deku Tree always told the Kokiri children that we were created by the leaves from his branches...not by…UGH, I can't even say what you and Malon told me!"

Kratos rolled his eyes. "You'll get used to talking about it after a little while."

Link nodded. "Yeah…right."

After walking for about another hour, Link, Kratos, Navi, and Noishe finally reached the hollow log that marked the entrance to the Kokiri Forest. Upon reaching the log, Link almost fell off Epona as she reared back, signaling that she did not want to enter the forest.

After calming her down, Link jumped off Epona and Kratos suggested that Noishe stay behind as well to give Epona some company much to the disappointment of Noishe. However, after hearing the growls of monsters through the log, Noishe gladly accepted saying behind.

So, Link and Kratos slowly made their way inside the hollow log and into the Kokiri Village. Link silently hoped nothing horrible had happened to his home as he and Kratos walked into the hollow log and disappeared from Epona's and Noishe's sight.

* * *

Kratos and Link came out of the hollow log that was the entrance to the Kokiri Forest. Navi flew out of Link's hat; just as curious as he is at what had become of the forest after being apart from it for seven years.

The three of them reach the old wooden bridge where Saria said her final good-byes to Link, Navi, and Kratos before the three of them started the journey.

Link gazes at the spot where she once stood seven years before as old memories come back to him.

_"I knew…that you would leave the forest someday, Link…because you are different from me and my friends…." Link looked at her questionly, but shrugged._

_Saria looked down and closed her eyes. She held onto an object in her hands and held it to her heart. "But that's okay, because we'll be friends forever…won't we?" She offered up what she was holding to Link._

_"Link, I want you to have this Ocarina…please take good care of it." Link looked straight at Saria._

_"Do you really want me to have this Saria?" She nodded. "I-I don't know what to say…."_

"Link." Link gasps; snapping him out of his memory as Kratos puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Link, we need to keep moving. The forest…feels very different from the last time we were here."

As Link took in Kratos' words, he realized that he was right. The Kokiri Forest was different in a number of ways. The forest was a lot darker than it was seven years ago mainly because all of the wild forest fairies had left or…died out. Also, the trees themselves looked very dull, having lost a lot of their luster from the disappearance of the Great Deku Tree and the forest fairies.

Link sighs and forces his feet to move forward. He really did not want to see what the village would look like now.

As Link and Kratos walked through the second hollow log, they made their way into Kokiri Village. Link's eyes widened at the sight of the place he once called home.

There were no more fairies flying around the village. Instead, there were only Deku Shrubs and Deku Plants in the village. Not only that, but the Deku Shrubs and Plants were also larger than normal and took up almost all of the empty space in the village.

Navi could not stop staring at what used to be her home as well. "This…I…Link…" She could not even describe in words what had happened and what they should do.

Finally Link sighed. "Navi..." Her little fairy body turned slowly towards Link.

Link let her fall into his hand. "Navi, I need you to look for anybody still here…even if it's Mido." She slowly nodded her head and flew off towards the stump houses of the village.

"Kratos." Kratos turned towards Link, seeing something in the boy's eyes. Grief mixed with fear and everything he had taught him.

"I need you to help me clear a path to my house. We need to adjust our plans and find out where the Forest Temple is."

Kratos nodded and he and Link charged at the Deku Shrubs and Plants that were in their way. Both of them hacked and slashed their way and eventually made a path towards Link's tree house.

Both of them climbed up the house and passed through the curtain door of Link's House.

As Link took in the view of his old home, he was a little surprised. He expected his house to be dusty and in disrepair from being away from it for so long. However, his house was just the opposite. Everything looked liked it was recently cleaned, the wood that comprised the stump was still fresh, and even his bed was made. Everything was where Link had left it since the day he left the forest.

However, something caught Link's eye. On his table, there was a small book with a quill and a bottle of ink.

Getting curious, Link sat down by his table and opened the book. During his journey with Kratos he learned some basics of reading and writing but was still somewhat of a novice. So, he turned to Kratos.

"Kratos, take a look at this." Link handed the man the book and Kratos glanced at the first page of it.

It was a diary.

Raising an eyebrow, Kratos read out loud the first entry.

_October 16, two days after the Death of the Great Deku Tree_

_Link just left the forest with that giant guy Kratos. I already miss Link. Everyone else around here could care less as they blame him for the death of the Great Deku Tree. But I know that Link would never do that. _

_So, I have decided to keep a record of what's going on in the village for Link through this diary until Link comes back from his journey._

Link was shocked. He had no idea that Saria did this for him. He wondered if she was alright.

Just as he was thinking that, Navi came flying in Link's house; fluttering with excitement.

"Link! Link! I have good news!" She rested herself on top of Kratos hair to rest her tired wings. "All the Kokiri are fine. They just barricaded themselves inside their homes to protect themselves from the dangers of the forest."

Link let out a sigh of relief at the good news. "That's great news Navi."

"However…there were only two people that I couldn't find…Mido and Saria."

"Oh." Link felt downcast again. He walked towards his old bed and laid on it and took a deep breath.

"Link." Link glanced towards Kratos who was still holding the diary in his hands.

"We may be able to find Saria." Link's eyes widened with hope.

"Really Kratos?! How!?!" Kratos gestured Link to glance around his house once again.

"Look at how well kept your house has been since you have been away. Guessing from the look of this place and the fact that Saria has kept her diary in your house this entire time, it is safe to bet that she has been missing only recently."

Link slowly took all of the information Kratos had told him in. "So…how would we find her?"

"Simple, we use this." Kratos emphasized the diary he was holding in his hands. He quickly turned the pages of the book, trying to find what he was looking for.

"I simply have to find the last diary entry Saria made and we should be able to locate her…ah, here it is."

_November 21, 0007 A.D.G.D.T (After the Death of the Great Deku Tree)_

_Even though the Great Deku Tree died, I have not lost hope._

_Even though Link's been gone for all this time, I have not lost hope._

_Even though the fairies have all been killed or eaten by the Deku Plants, I have not lost hope._

_I saw a bright light in the north-west sky yesterday. I have decided it is time. Time to go to the Forest Temple and purge whatever evil has taken residence there. Link if you ever read this diary and I'm not here anymore, the Forest Temple is near our secret spot and I did what I had to, to restore this forest to what it was before the death of the Great Deku Tree. _

_I have not lost hope._

Kratos finished reading out loud and glanced at Link. Balling up his fists, Link stands up from his bed with a determined look on his face and glances at both Kratos and Navi.

"Well, we all know what we have to do now." Navi got off Kratos' head and flew towards Link.

"Yeah, let's go Link!" Both Link and Navi went through the curtain door and out the house while Kratos smirked at how far Link has come since he met him.

* * *

A cold chill slivers down Link's spine as he, Kratos, and Navi venture further and further into the Lost Woods.

Like the Kokiri Village, the Lost Woods were much darker now that there were no fairies around to light the way. As Link went down the familiar path to Saria's secret spot, he ran into another familiar face: Mido.

Link's eyes widened and he took a step back after seeing Mido. He was still...a kid.

Kratos noticed this as well. Mido looked exactly the same. As Link stared at Mido and questioned why he had not aged, Kratos glanced over towards Link and questioned why Link aged.

All the while Mido stood guard on the path to Saria's secret spot.

"Who are you guys!?!" Mido glanced over to Link and narrowed his eyes. "Though you wear Kokirish clothing, you can't fool me! I promised Saria that I would never let anyone go through here."

"Please…let me pass. It is important that I meet Saria. I'm one of her friends." Mido through his head back and laughed.

"Ha! Good one Mister. If you're one of her friends, prove it!"

"P-Prove it?" Link uttered as Navi flew out of his hat.

"Link! Her song. Play Saria's Song!" Link nodded and took out the Ocarina of Time.

As Link played Saria's Song, Mido's eyes widened and he looked at Link in a new way.

"That melody? Saria only teaches that song to her friends. Okay Mister, I trust you." Link nodded and smiled.

"Thank you Mido!"

Link then proceeded on the path to Saria's secret spot. Kratos started to follow him but was stopped by Mido.

"Wait…" Mido's eyes widened. "You're…!" Kratos slowly nodded and put his index finger to his lips as he walked out of Mido's sight to catch up with Link.

* * *

After navigating through an army of moblins in the Sacred Forest Meadow maze, Link, Kratos, and Navi were back where they last saw Saria seven years ago.

_Swish!_

Out of the corner of Link's eye, he sees someone drop down and land on the ground near him.

Kratos, whose senses are much more sharpened than Link, heard Shiek coming from a mile away and was facing the area when he dropped down.

Slowly, Shiek rose from the ground and approached both Link and Kratos.

"The flow of time is always cruel…. It's speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it…. A thing that doesn't change with time is the memory of younger days…. Link, in order to return to the forest again, play the _Minuet of Forest_."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Shiek pulls out a golden harp with silver embedded in the strings. He sounds out the notes of a very upbeat and hopeful song as Link plays along with Shiek using the Ocarina of Time.

While he watches, Kratos notices something…familiar about Shiek. Something felt familiar about him…but he couldn't figure out what. Kratos also took in Shiek's words of wisdom. "The flow of time is always cruel." Kratos knew that all too well.

He puts it to the back of his mind when Link finishes his duet with Shiek. Shiek puts the harp back where it was and slowly backs away from Link.

"I'll see you again Link…" Link tilts his head.

"Wait…what do you mean by—HEY WAIT!" But it was too late. Using a Deku nut, Shiek disappeared in front of both Kratos and Link.

Sighing, Link glances towards the old building behind him and a light bulb goes off in his head. "Hey wait, could this be the Forest Temple?"

Kratos glanced toward the building in an indifferent mood. "So it would seem."

After seeing that the stairs are out, Link reaches into his pack and gets out his new toy; the hookshot! Aiming it at a branch, Link shoots it and is immediately pulled up and onto the stairs.

"Wow, I love the hookshot. Hey Kratos, need any help getting up here?" Kratos shook his head.

"I have no use for the hookshot. I have my own ways of getting up there." In a flash of light, Kratos' blue wings appeared and he flew up to meet Link at the spot where he landed and he immediately put his wings away.

After witnessing this, Link pouted. "Well you're no fun!"

**Me: Mmm...cookies.**

**Martel: These are going straight to my thighs**

**Me: Wait, you're a Tree spirit so how...ugh, nevermind, Review?**


	28. Forest Temple

**Me: Ugh! I got the blue screen of death while writing this chapter. My computer was fine though so...**

**Martel: Keep writing this story slave!**

**Me: Yes misstress!**

**Martel: Big Boss doesn't own-hey, when did you change your name!**

**Me: A week ago.**

**Martel: Whatever, Big Boss doesn't own ToS or LoZ. **

Chapter 28

Forest Temple

As Kratos, Link, and Navi entered the Forest Temple, an eerie feeling crept through their bodies. Inside the stone structure, mounds of grass had started growing through the stone floor and many trees had destroyed parts of some walls.

Kratos eyed the temple with the utmost curiosity. If Lloyd's teacher were here, she would probably be going nuts right about now.

_Awhoooooo!_

Two wolfos emerged from behind some of the trees in the first room and were slowly inching their way towards the three of them. Link glared at them fiercely, and unsheathed his Master Sword and like the wolfos; he too, inched his way closer and closer to them, waiting for a first strike.

Hungry overtaking the wolfos made them make the first move and pounce straight at Link who simply countered by performing a stab at the first one who fell to the ground, dead.

After the first wolfos fell, the second leaped towards Link from the side hoping to catch him off guard. However, Link was very aware of the second Wolfos intentions and performed a spin attack, knocking the second wolfos back who then collapsed because of the great force of the attack.

It was then that a box fell from above onto to temple floor and broke on impact revealing a silver key.

Link eyed the key with curiosity. "Hmm…well this is new." Navi then flew out of his hat.

"You should keep that key Link. Something's telling me that you might need it." Link nodded and as he went to pick up the key, he saw Kratos slashing at a skulltula and making his way to the end of the room.

Kratos turned around to face Link after he slayed the spider. "Come along Link." Link smiled.

"Right!"

* * *

"Whoa! Kratos, did you see that?" Link cried as he turned to Kratos.

"Yes I did. This is going to be a nuisance."

Kratos and Link had just witnessed four different Poe ghosts _stealing _fire from what looked like the center altar of the Forest Temple. After stealing the fire, the four ghosts flew off in different directions leaving Link surprised and Kratos agitated.

"Which one do we go after first?"

"Hmm…I do not believe it makes much of a difference Link. After all, in the end we will need to retrieve all four of the different fires." Link nodded and turned back to glance at the different directions the Poes disappeared from.

"So…which one to go after…OH! I know how to solve this!" Kratos smiled at Link's problem solving skills and looked to see what he would do.

"Okay…eny meany mieny moe, catch a wolfos by its toe…" Kratos facepalmmed and Navi started to sweat drop.

"…then my mother picks the very best one and…you…are…IT!" Link pointed at door number two.

Link glanced over his shoulder and started to run towards that door. "This way Kratos!"

As Link started to run towards the door, Kratos silently followed him with Navi flying alongside him.

"Well…look on the bright side Kratos." Kratos glanced over to the fairy. "For a guy that has to save the world…he's in good spirits."

Kratos sighed and started to run after Link.

* * *

The three of them continued on through the temple at a brisk pace noticing how different this dungeon was from the ones when Link was only ten. Key collecting became a priority and Kratos made Link search and research every room they went into just in case they missed something.

After walking through a corridor that looked like a ringed out washcloth, Kratos and Link slowly walked through a room with several paintings on the walls.

Link glanced around at the seemingly normal room. "Wow, this part actually looks apart of the temple and not apart of the forest."

"Keep your guard up Link. I sense that we are being watched." Link glanced back at Kratos surprised.

"Is that another one of those…angel powers?" Kratos didn't answer because straight ahead of both of them was one of the four Poes that stole one of the torches from the main room...inside a painting.

Kratos reaches for Flameberg as he and Link walk closer and closer to the painting. Catching on to what his teacher is doing, Link slowly unsheathes the Master Sword and follows the slow moving angel.

_Hehehehe!_

Kratos and Link watch as the ghost from the portrait vanish leaving just an empty frame staring them in the face.

"Grrr! For a ghost, that thing is really cowardly for running away when we get close enough to kill it!"

"Hmm…perhaps we can only attack it from afar?" A light bulb went off above Link's head.

"Hey yeah! Let me go back there and use the hookshot!" Link ran off above the stairs again and saw the Poe reappear.

Smirking, Link took out his hookshot and aimed it at the portrait.

_Twang!_

Link's face heated up at the embarrassment he was feeling. The chain for his hookshot barely reached halfway to the painting and all he heard was the cackling of the Poe laughing in its portrait.

Frustration getting the better of him, Link ran straight towards the portrait and tried to break it with his sword before Kratos walked up behind him.

"Any progress…" Link gave off a sheepish smile before sheathing his sword.

"Not really. The hookshot chain is too short to attack the Poe before it runs away." Kratos nodded and closed his eyes, clearly thinking.

"Perhaps, like the dungeons when you were a child, there is probably a weapon hidden here that we must find in order for us to progress further."

"Why didn't I think of that? Come on Kratos, let's progress further down and see what we can find!"

* * *

"I don't like seeing what we found!" Link complained while he and Kratos had their swords out, back to back facing off against two Staphos.

"At least they're not Redeads." Kratos replied after blocking the Staphos stab move.

The two of them had been fighting the same skeleton swordsmen for nearly fifteen minutes. It wasn't that the Staphos were that good of swordsmen to stand toe to toe with the Hero of Time and Kratos Aurion, it was just every time when either of them delivered the finishing blow, the two Staphos would crumble and they would reassemble themselves ready to fight again.

It was at this time Navi flew out of Link's hat. "Maybe we have to do something else when they are a pile of bones?"

"I see." Link turned to Kratos after he delivered his ninth finishing blow.

"What, what do we have to do?"

"Link, the easiest way to get rid of these creatures of the undead is to use one of your FAVORITE weapons." Link's eyes widened with glee as he took out and lit a bomb and threw it towards one of the fallen Staphos.

_Boom!_

The bones of the creature were either broken into pieces from the explosion or completely destroyed leaving them just one more to go.

Taking Flameberg, Kratos swung hard and decapitated the other Staphos and watched his head roll.

"NOW LINK!" Link nodded and threw another lit bomb towards the pile of bones just as Kratos picked up the skull of the Staphos and threw it towards its bones.

_Boom!_

The other pile disappeared and out of nowhere, a light engulfed the room they were in and a large chest stood in the middle of the room.

Link rubbed his hands together. "Let's see what we got!" Blinking, Kratos looked at the boy and saw him rubbing his hands together with enough speed to start a camp fire.

Opening the chest, Link held a bow and a quiver of arrows above his head.

"Wow cool! This is going to be SO much better than my old slingshot."

Kratos just stared as Link ran back to the other room to kill the Poe that was taunting him inside the painting.

Turning over to Navi, he sighed. "You're right, it's very fortunate that he's in good spirits."

* * *

After getting the Fairy's Bow, Link made quick work of two of the four Poe's near the room where he got said bow and Link and Kratos continued on through the Temple looking for the other two ghosts.

Along the way however, both Link and Kratos stumbled upon a brightly colored green and blue chest in a room connected to the winding corridor they went through before.

"What is this?" Link said as he pulled out of the multi-colored chest, a very large key. Kratos examined the key as Link showed it to him.

"I don't know. However, being in such a…noticeable colored chest, it must be very important."

"Yeah."

* * *

After killing the third poe ghost in a rather…stranger way than the first two, Link and Kratos found themselves back in the middle of the Forest Temple near the altar where three of the four torches were lit.

"Wait…according to the map we found…we went through every room we could in the temple." Navi flew out of Link's hat and faced him.

"Yeah so?"

"So…where's the last poe ghost?"

"I'd suggest you focus more on your surroundings Link." Kratos stated looking at the altar.

"Huh, what do you—"

_Hehehehe!_

The last Poe ghost floated over to Link and he took a step back as it split itself into four ghosts.

"Link! Only one of Poes is real. Search for the real one and hit it with an arrow!" Exclaimed Navi.

However, it was easier said than done. Each one of the four copies looked exactly the same.

"I-I can't tell which one is the real one!"

"Focus Link. Keep an eye on their actions, not what they look like." Kratos said as he watched the four ghosts circle around Link.

"I…okay." Link didn't blink. He stood with his bow out as each of the ghosts circled around them.

Slowly they circled.

Very slowly.

Very, very slowly.

"Ha!" Link's eyes widened and he let loose one arrow and watched it hit the right ghost. Seeing it stunned, Link raced over towards it and began to slice and stab the Poe until it disappeared and relinquished the fire it held.

Link watched as the fire floated to the only remaining unlit torch. With the last torch burning, the elevator mechanism of the temple activated and allowed both Link and Kratos to go down to lowest levels of the temple.

* * *

"Whoa. That's a big lock."

"Indeed."

"Wait!" Link reached into his pack and pulled out the Big Key he found in the strange colored chest. Fitting it perfectly into the lock, the chains that held the door closed fell to the ground and Link and Kratos were able to enter the room.

Link was a bit taken aback at the last room in the dungeon. The room was filled with six identical portraits of the same black castle in the background. Both he and Kratos slowly walked up the ramp leading to the middle of the room.

"It's too quiet." Link said as he unsheathed his sword.

"Humph, it seems you're learning." Kratos replied as he too unsheathed his sword.

_HEHEHEHEH!_

The deep, familiar laughter unnerved Link. Both he and Kratos turned around to see floating in the middle of the room the King of Evil himself, Ganondorf. Link's fear turned to anger however as he glared at the evil king.

"Ganondorf! You'll pay for what you did to Hyrule!"

"That's not Ganondorf." Link turned to Kratos, wide eyed.

"What! What do you mean NOT Ganondorf?" Kratos cocked his head towards the double-ganger.

"Though it looks like him, the energy I feel radiating off of him is not the same as before."

The fake Ganondorf smiled and peeled back his face revealing a creature with a bone-like face with large horns coming out of its skull. Out of nowhere, it summoned Ganondorf's black stallion and a gigantic lance and galloped into one of the six paintings.

Link stomped his foot on the ground as he saw the double-ganger Ganondorf gallop towards the black castle in the painting.

"Dammit! Navi, got any ideas about its weakness?" Navi flew towards the painting and back towards Link.

"Yeah, use your bow when Phantom Ganon comes out of the painting. BUT…he can come out of ANY of the six paintings." Link's eyes widened for a second before he nodded.

"Got it!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw the form of Phantom Ganon coming towards him and took aim with his bow.

"This is too easy."

"I wouldn't say that Link. Behind you!" Kratos yelled.

"Wha—" The image of Phantom Ganon that Link was aiming at ran back towards the black castle before it left the painting and the image of Phantom Ganon that Kratos had seen had come out from behind Link as Link tried to roll out of the way.

_Slice!_

"Ah!" Link screamed as Phantom Ganon's lance cut deep into Link's leg.

_First Aid!_

Green magic engulfed Link's leg as Kratos jumped towards Link and stood back to back.

"If he's going to use tricks, so will we. I'll keep an eye out from behind you." Link smiled.

"Alright. But, how are you going to attack him if you don't have a bow?"

"I have my own ways…"

Just as Phantom Ganon emerged from another portrait, this time facing Kratos, Kratos got into casting position and took aim.

_Grave!_

One sharp stalagmite followed by four others inflicted heavy damage onto Phantom Ganon, causing the horse he was riding to disintegrate into nothingness leaving the Phantom floating in the air.

Both Link and Kratos broke their back to back formation as Phantom Ganon threw away his lance in favor of magic powered trident.

Cackling loudly, Phantom Ganon allowed energy to flow through his trident and he launched an energy ball at Kratos and Link.

_Poom!_

Both swordsmen dodged as the energy exploded where they were standing. Navi flew towards Link.

"Link! You need to use your sword and hit Phantom Ganon's energy balls right back at him. That's the only way to stun him." Link nodded as Phantom Ganon prepared to unleash another energy ball.

_Poom!_

The energy raced towards Link, who hit it straight back at Phantom Ganon with his Master Sword. However, Phantom Ganon merely swung at the energy ball too and hit it right back towards Link.

Kratos watched as each one of them hit the same energy ball back and forth between the two. Neither one looked like they were going to give up.

It was up to Kratos to break the tie.

"Out of the way!" Kratos got into casting position.

_Air Thrust!_

Several green blades of air cut and pierced Phantom Ganon causing little to no damage. However, it broke his concentration long enough for Link to hit the energy ball they had been volleying between each other back at Phantom Ganon, directly hitting him.

This caused Phantom Ganon to fall to the ground where both Link and Kratos rushed him and hacked and slashed at him before Phantom Ganon yelled out a loud scream and then, like his horse, disintegrate into nothingness.

Link pumped his fist into the air. "Yeah! We did it!" Kratos glanced at the boy and sent him a small smirk.

After Link was done celebrating, both he and Kratos were warped out of the room where they fought Phantom Ganon and to the Chamber of the Sages.

Once there, Link turned towards the green forest spot where tears filled his eyes at the sight of his old friend.

Saria stood there and looked just like Link remembered her…literally. She smiled at Link and Kratos.

"Thank you Link and Kratos. Because of your efforts, I was able to reawaken as a Sage. I am now the Sage of the Forest. Link, I always knew that you would come…"

Link wiped away the couple of tears that were running down his face from seeing his old friend again. "Saria I—" Saria held her hand up, silencing Link.

"You don't have to explain to me… It's destiny that you and I can't live in the same world." This caught Link off guard.

"Huh, Saria…what do you mean?"

"It matters not. Please, take the Forest Medallion." Holding her arms above her head, Saria, the Sage of the Forest called forth a green medallion from the heavens.

Kratos watched as the green medallion fell into Link's hands. Like the Light Medallion, Link wrapped a leather string around the Forest Medallion and put it around his neck next to the Light Medallion as both he and Kratos disappeared from the Chamber of the Sages.

_Link…I will always be your friend…_

**Me: That's that!**

**Martel: Who do you think you are, Kratos?**

**Me: No, I'm Big Boss. He's even cooler than Kratos.**

**Kratos' Fangirls: WHAT!**

**Me: Ah! (runs away)**

**Martel: (Sighs) Happy Memorial Day and please review.**


	29. A Hero's Origins

**Me: Sad news for you all. I'm starting my second job next week so updates...might slow up.**

**Martel: Nope. He's lying. Don't listen to him!**

**Me: Yeah, enjoy this short chapter. I don't own ToS or LoZ.**

Chapter 29

A Hero's Origins

Both Link and Kratos fell slowly to the meadow of the Great Deku Tree. As their feet touched the ground, Link got a decent look around himself and saw that all of the Deku Baba's and Deku Shrubs that plagued the Kokiri Forest were all gone. Instead, Link found a tiny little sprout growing out of the ground, just in front of where the Great Deku Tree was.

Kratos too, was looking out towards the meadow and the Kokiri village when he felt a surge of mana near where Link was standing.

Suddenly, the small sprout that Link was looking at popped out of the ground, scarring Link as he fell to the ground and causing Kratos to unsheathe Flameberg towards the…smiling plant.

The plant smiled at the two of them and Link stared at the small shrub with a sense of longing.

"Hi there! I'm the Deku Tree Sprout!" Kratos stared at the tiny, talking tree. Comparing it to the old Deku Tree, it was roughly about 1/50th the size of it.

Just staring at it, Link gave the little sprout a shy wave and smile.

"Eh…Hello." The sprout beamed at both he and Kratos.

"Because of the efforts of Saria, Kratos, and you Link, I can grow and flourish now. Thank you for saving me." While Kratos 'humphed' out a thanks, Link just rubbed his back nervously.

"Eh…well…you're welcome." After that moment, the shyness vanished from Link's face and he got serious.

"Um…eh…Deku Sprout…I have a question."

"You're wondering why all of the Kokiri are still kids aren't you." Link took a step back, surprised that the Deku Sprout knew what he was going to ask.

"Well the answer is simple Link. The Kokiri are a race of children. They never grow up." This time, both Link and Kratos took a step back surprised.

"Never grow up? If I may ask…how is that possible?" Kratos inquired.

The Deku Sprout's eyes turned to Kratos. "I think you already know this. Like the protozoan species from you're world, the Kokiri were given life by the Great Deku Tree. His power allowed them to live forever." Kratos' eyes widened.

"How do YOU know about my world?" The Sprout smiled.

"The Great Deku Tree was originally planted by the Goddesses themselves. He was 'in' on their little stunt with bringing you here." Link looked at the both of them confused.

"Huh? What does he mean Kratos?"

"…Nothing Link. So if Link aged, then…what is he?" Link's eyes widened and he turned to the Sprout.

"Yeah, what am I?" Kratos let out an inward sigh, thankful that Link did not question him about the three Goddesses.

The Sprout sighed. "Well, the Deku Tree did not want to tell you until you were older and…well…anyway, as you already might have guessed, you are _not _of the Kokiri tribe. You are actually a Hylian!" Link was silent. He glanced over his adult hands and kept making fists.

"Then…where did I come from?" The Deku Sprout took a huge breath.

"Let me explain then. Some time ago, before the King of Hyrule united this country, there was a fierce war in this world. One day, to escape from the fires of war, a Hylian mother and her baby boy entered this forbidden forest." Link felt a very cold chill go up his spine.

"Please…continue."

"The mother was gravely injured…Her only choice was to entrust her child to the Great Deku Tree, the guardian spirit of the forest. The Deku Tree could sense that this was a child of destiny, whose fate would affect the entire world, so he took him into the forest."

Kratos glanced over to Link and his tear stained face. Link was not unlike his own son, a mother who gave her child away so that that child could live.

Kratos placed a comforting hand on Link's shoulder as he stood there speechless.

"What will happen to the forest now that you are here to be the new guardian tree?" The Deku Sprout closed his eyes.

"Ganondorf's hand over this forest has fallen. Now that I am here, I am able to drive all of his forces out of both forest and the forest temple with the help of Saria." Kratos said nothing in response. Instead, he too, gazed longley at the Deku Sprout.

"Why are you staring at me?" Kratos blinked.

"Er, nothing. It's just…back where I came from, a group of people with the ideal for peace succeeded in saving the world. With the world saved, my son and his friend planted the new World Tree, to watch over the world." The Deku Sprout laughed.

"I guess that you're world and ours are not all that different after all…"

"It would seem not."

The Deku Sprout glanced over to Link and the sprout's face got serious. "Link, you know that now you know that you're a Hylian…you cannot stay in this forest." This got Link's attention.

"What? Why not?" The Deku Sprout sighed.

"Only the Kokiri are allowed to stay here. The Great Deku Tree only allowed you to stay here because he sensed that you would play a big role in saving our world."

Link swallowed the large lump in his throat. "So…where am I supposed to go…when this is all over?" The Deku Sprout sighed.

"That is for YOU to decide. You have to find your own path to follow." To Link's surprise, the Deku Sprout's regarded Link very slyly. "I thought you and Zelda might figure something out…" Blood started to flow to Link's face as the Deku Sprout laughed and Kratos let out a small chuckle.

"For now Link…focus on saving Hyrule. With the help of Kratos here, you will be fine."

* * *

Link and Kratos soon left the Great Deku Tree meadow and came upon the Kokiri village, which was rid of all the monsters that were plaguing it when they first entered the forest.

"Link." Link turned to Kratos.

"Will you be alright? Learning about…well, learning about all of that information must have been a lot." Link gave Kratos a sad smile.

"Yeah…it was hard listening to that. But…I'm glad I did. I now know why I never had a fairy till the start of my journey. Hey wait…Navi!" Very slowly and shyly, Navi flew out of Link's hat.

"…Eh…yeah?" Link glared at the fairy.

"Did you know…I mean…did you always know that I wasn't a Kokiri?" Navi was silent for a moment.

"Link…I was told by the Great Deku Tree not to tell you. I'm so sorry." Link wasn't visibly mad, but he was hurt nonetheless.

"Still…I know you were doing what you were told but…"

"It hurts not knowing, doesn't it?" Link turned to Kratos surprised.

"Well…yeah, it does hurt." Kratos closed his eyes.

"My son Lloyd was plagued by his and my past throughout our last journey. I didn't tell him everything about what happened when he was a child but, I clearly saw how the information that I was his father, shock him to his very soul." Link turned away from both Kratos and Navi.

"…Well, what did…Lloyd do?" Link felt Kratos' hand on his shoulder.

"While Lloyd was feeling the way you were now, with the help of his friends, he kept on fighting for what he believed was right. The information you learned is _not _really that important. What _is _important is what _you _are going to do."

Link turned to Kratos. "Well…I'm going to defeat Ganondorf and save Hyrule." Kratos smiled.

"_Never lose those ideals Link."_ Both Kratos and Link turned to see Shiek drop down from one of the trees in the village.

"Shiek! What are you doing here?" Though Link could not see it, Shiek was smiling at the Hero.

"I'm thanking you Link. For destroying the wicked creatures that haunted the temple and awaking the Forest Sage. But there are still other Sages that need your help."

Link smiled. "Well, you're welcomed Shiek." Shiek bowed.

"However, I have come to you other than to thank you Hero."

"Huh?" Link watched as Shiek took out his golden harp.

"There will be a time where you will need to return to the Temple of Time. To get there, I will teach you the melody that will be able to bring you there, The Prelude to Light!" While Kratos eyed Shiek, Link got out the Ocarina of Time and played along to short song that evoked a sureness to slay evil.

After the song ended, Shiek put away his harp and started to back away from the two. "Link…and Kratos…I'll be seeing you two again." Link's eyes widened.

"Wait! No, I was going to—Dammit!" Link yelled stomping his foot on the ground. **(A.N. Ha! Take THAT Fukachi no Rin!)**

"Link, what were you trying to accomplish by not allowing Shiek to disappear?" Link froze and slowly turned to Kratos.

"Eh…I don't know. It…I don't know…It feels like I KNOW Shiek or something."

"Hmm…I understand. His…mana feels familiar." Link raised his eyebrows.

"I thought Hyrule didn't have mana." Kratos closed his eyes.

"Hmm…it doesn't. But…something…inside has been telling me that I've seen Shiek before as well." Link sighed.

"Whatever. Let's go see Epona and Noishe. I bet they're hungry." As Link ran ahead, Kratos slowly followed and whispered to himself.

"Zelda…I hope you know what you're doing."

**Martel: O.o H-How does Kratos know about...Zelda?**

**Me: (shrugs) Because he's Kratos.**

**Martel: You're just saying that because Kratos' fangirls have guns pointed at you.**

**Kratos Fangirls: (Looking angry and have their guns cocked)**

**Me: ...maybe...review please**


	30. The Fire Temple

**Me: ...**

**Martel: Please send your condolences to Big Boss. His grandma died right before he posted this chapter.**

**Me: She was...the strongest female person I've ever known. May she rest in peace...**

**Martel: Big Boss doesn't own ToS or LoZ.**

Chapter 30

The Fire Temple

Climbing Death Mountain was never easy for Link. As a child, he tired himself out pretty quickly by trying to run up the long, rugged trail. This time however, new challenges quickly presented themselves.

"Link! Watch out!" Navi yelled as she saw a third boulder rolling down at Link which he barely dodged.

Link hugged the wall as another boulder roll passed him. "Goddesses, why does this trail hate me so much?" Kratos rolled his eyes at his antics.

"Let's get moving." Link turned to him and nodded.

"WAIT!" Both Link and Kratos turned to the loud blue fairy. She was fluttering over the Light Medallion and the Forest Medallion.

Link's eyes widened. "Oh wow! Thanks Navi, I owe you one." She rolled her eyes as Link reached down to pick up both of the Medallions while Kratos watched curiously the entire time.

"I had better keep these in my bag if they can fall off so easily."

"Link." Link turned to Kratos who was eyeing both medallions. Link just stared at him.

"What? What is it?" He watched as Kratos closed his eyes.

"It's nothing. The medallions…they just…remind me of…something." Link's eyes widened.

"Oh! Does it remind you of something from Symphonia?"

"Yes, it does. These Medallions that you keep on getting from the Sages reminds me of getting the Pact Rings from the Summon Spirits."

Both Link and Navi stared at Kratos. Kratos sighed.

"During the regeneration journey, Lloyd and the group fought spirits of the elements. Once they would defeat a spirit, a ring would float to a chosen person." Balling up his hand, Kratos showed both Link and Navi a ring with a silver band and a garnet stone.

"Though I wasn't with the group at the time…this pact ring flew to me. The Summon Spirit of Fire, Efreet, chose me. Each person in the group got one ring that chose them."

Link and Navi both stared at the garnet ring on Kratos' hand.

"Does it…do anything besides being a normal ring?" Link inquired.

"I can use it to back up my sword skills with the power of fire. However, given that my sword already does that…it does little to no use. I only wear it now to remind me of what I fought for with my sons." Link turned to the two medallions in his hands and sighed.

"Man, I wish these things had special powers." Navi rolled her eyes.

"They might have some magical powers but perhaps you must collect them all." Link was about to groan, but something large in the sky distracted him.

Link unsheathed his sword and took his basic stance and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. To Link's surprise, when Kratos saw the large creature in the sky, he just sighed.

Link was about to ask but was then blinded sided as the creature came closer and closer to them.

"Sheath your sword Link." Link turned to him wide eyed but then turned back to the thing coming at them who appeared to be Noishe. Link and Kratos had left both Noishe and Epona in Kakiriko village for the trek up the mountain but it appeared that Noishe had gotten too bored down in the village.

"Noishe, I thought I told you to stay in the village." The protozoan rolled his eyes.

"**Like I'm going to let you have ALL the fun on this journey. I'm going with you guys to the next temple." **Kratos just glared at his old friend while Noishe let his paws touch down on the mountain trail.

After about a minute, Kratos sighed. "Do as you will." Noishe celebrated by jumping into the air and doing a few loop de loops as Link watched on in amazement.

* * *

As Kratos, Link, Navi, and Noishe entered Goron City, they were all on edge. Link expected to see city overrun with monsters just like when he and Kratos first entered the Kokiri Forest.

However, fate seemed to be on their side this time. The entire Goron city was empty which surprised Link.

"Wow, no monsters." Kratos kept his eyes on the surroundings.

"Don't let your guard down just yet." Link turned to him and nodded. As he and the rest of the group silently crept through the city, Link saw that Noishe was the most on edge in the group. As Link turned his eyes to Kratos, who also noticed Noishe's trembling, he shook his head and turned to Link.

"I'll tell you later."

After a while, the group made it down to another level in the city to find one Goron rolling in a circle around the room. Link sighed in relief.

"At least there's ONE Goron still here." Link walked towards the still rolling Goron. "Hey! Excuse me, but can you tell us where all the Gor—ONS!" Link didn't get to finish his sentence as the Goron rolled right into him and knocked him down. Noishe ran behind Kratos' tall figure to get as far away as he could from the Goron.

As Link got up, he glared daggers at the little Goron that was rolling away. "That little bastard! Why didn't he stop and listen to me?"

"Language Link." Link turned to Kratos looking even angrier.

"I can curse whenever I want. I'm an adult now!" Kratos rubbed his head as he felt a migraine coming on.

"First of all, you're 17…you are still just a kid. And second, you only have the body of a 17 year old. And finally, you have no right to curse at that Goron in the first place."

"Huh, what do you mean?" Kratos turned towards and pointed at the rolling Goron.

"Judging by the Goron's movement, I would say he's scared. Ganondorf must've been here at least once during the last seven years."

Realization hit Link's face as he turned towards the rolling Goron. "We still need to talk to him, he might give us information on the Fire Temple." Kratos nodded.

"Your right Link. Remember that cow I stopped from running off from Lon Lon Ranch seven years ago?"

Link smiled. "Yeah...this is going to be fun to watch."

Kratos walked into the Goron's path and waited for him to come. As Kratos saw the Goron roll around towards him, he dug his feet into the ground and held his hands in front of him.

As the Goron got close to him, Kratos held his hands out and stopped the Goron from moving. Using his angelic strength, Kratos stopped and threw the Goron into a nearby wall in order to get it to uncurl itself.

As the Goron uncurled itself, everyone in the group cringed as the Goron started to whine.

"H-how could you d-do this t-to me! You're one of Ganondorf's servants aren't you?" As the Goron uncurled itself, Link realized the Goron was very young and suddenly felt even more sorry for cursing at him.

"Hear my name and tremble! I am Kratos, hero of the Gorons!" Kratos' face twisted in shock as both Link and Navi laughed. Link stopped laughing and went up to the little goron.

"Well…Kratos…" The real Kratos cringed again. "…would you like to meet the guy who you were named after?" Kratos goro**(A.N. I'm adding 'goro' after the Goron Kratos so you know which Kratos is talking.)**glanced to Link and then Kratos.

"What? You're name is also Kratos? Then…you must be…the legendary Dodongo Buster and Hero Kratos Aurion!" Kratos goro then turned towards Link. "And you're…" Link smiled. "Kratos' side kick!" Link did an anime fall.

"No! I'm Kratos' apprentice!"

"No, I remember my dad Darunia told me you were his side kick." Link felt like drop kicking the Goron into next Tuesday.

"Kratos has been training me in the arts of the sword for awhile now because he's my Master!" Kratos goro rolled his eyes.

"That's because you're his side kick." Kratos sighed.

"Er, Kratos…would you mind telling us where all the Gorons are?" Kratos saw Kratos goro flinch when he mentioned the Gorons.

"They're…in the Fire temple. My dad went to the temple to rescue them but…if we don't hurry up, my dad and my people will be eaten by the dragon inside!" Kratos goro started to cry as Link visibly took a step back.

"Dr-dragon!"

Kratos goro wiped away his tears and did his best to elaborate more. "A long time ago…there was an evil dragon named Volvagia living in this mountain. He was REALLY scary, he ate…GORONS. Using an ancient hammer, the hero of the Gorons destroyed it."

"Hmm…this is valuable information. What about the Gorons…where are they?" Kratos asked.

Kratos goro sniffed. "Well, everybody was taken to the Fire Temple. While my dad was out, followers of Ganondorf came and took them away! Dad has said that Ganondorf has revived Volvagia and is preparing to feed my brothers to him as a warning to other races who might oppose him."

Link felt horrified after hearing Kratos goro's story. He turned to Kratos goro. "Don't worry, we will save your people." Kratos goro looked up to Link and wiped his face again.

"You…you will?" Kratos nodded.

"Yes, just point us towards the Fire Temple." Kratos goro smiled at both of them.

"I-I don't know what to say? But take these." Kratos goro handed two red tunics to both Link and Kratos.

"What are these? Link asked.

"They're tunics that protect the wearer from extreme heat. Gorons don't need them but you humans will burn to a crisp inside the volcano where the temple is." Link looked back at his tunic and shrugged. He went to an isolated corner in the city and changed while Kratos gave his tunic back.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Kratos…but I will not need it." Kratos goro's eyes widened.

"N-not need it? But—" Kratos held his hand up.

"No matter how hot it is…the heat will not affect me. I will be fine."

Kratos goro said nothing for a minute. But then, admiration broke out on his face. "WOW, THE GREAT DODONGO BUSTER AND GORON HERO DOESN'T NEED A HEAT RESISTENT TUNIC! KRATOS AURION IS JUST THAT AWESOME!"

Kratos sweatdropped at Kratos goro's antics and watched as he opened the stone passage to Darunia's room. Link came forward sporting a tunic just like his old one except red in color as the both of them made their way to the Fire Temple.

* * *

"Ugh! It's hot!" Link complained.

Kratos' eye twitched but he said nothing.

"Why does it have to be so hot?" Navi complained.

Kratos' eye started to twitch repeatedly but he said nothing.

"**My paws hurt."**

Then…Kratos snapped.

"Then get the hell out of Death Mountain Crater Noishe!" Everyone was taken aback, even Noishe.

"**I was just saying…Anyway, I'll see you down in the village."** The rest of the group watched as the Fenrilra flew off.

"That was an odd sort of animal." Everyone in the group turned towards Shiek who was standing next to a rock spire.

Link tilted his head to the side. "What brings you to a place like this Shiek." Shiek ignored his question and walked towards Link.

"It is something that grows over time…a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes stronger over time…The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will which way to go…"

At that moment, Link thought of Zelda. His friendship with her…even if it was only for a couple of days.

"This song is dedicated to the power of the heart…Listen to the Bolero of Fire." Shiek pulled out his golden harp as Link pulled out the ocarina of time.

They played a low but powerful song that felt as if the notes themselves were tied together with their deep friendship.

Kratos watched as the two of them played and felt Sheik's…or rather Zelda's feelings channeled into the song as well as Link's.

As the song drew to a close, Shiek stood there for a moment before stepping backwards and disappearing behind a wall of volcanic flame.

As the flames died down, Shiek was gone and Kratos glanced over to Link.

"Let's get moving." Link turned to him.

"Huh…yeah."

**Me: For those of you who are Metal Gear fans, my grandma was like The Boss to me. THAT'S how much I loved her. **

**Martel: I'm guessing Kratos didn't need a tunic because of his Cruxis Crystal?**

**Me: You would be correct. It was also funny to make Kratos goro his fan. Anyway, F.n.R., the swear count is up to 3. **

**Martel: Review please...even if it's just to offer your condolences.**


	31. Raging Inferno

**Me: Sorry for being away. 2 jobs, a funeral, and many downloaded games kept me away.**

**Martel: Still no excuse!**

**Me: Enjoy this chapter. Also, one of the games I tried out: Chrono Trigger. Great game for 20 bucks for the DS. I don't own LoZ or ToS.**

Chapter 31

Raging Inferno

Climbing a long ladder down, Link was quite amazed when he gazed at the opening room to the Fire Temple. The architecture was beyond anything he thought the Gorons were capable of building. As he walked through the first few rooms, he just kept staring at the high ceilings and intrigue designs.

Kratos, though he too was intrigued by the temple, had to take it upon himself to guard Link against the temple's traps and monsters.

"Link, watch out!" Link's eyes widened and he tried to pull his foot back to prevent himself from stepping into lava but to no avail. However, both Link and Kratos were surprised that his foot did not melt on contact with the molten rock.

"Huh…what?" Link just stared down at his foot and went to set his foot down on the magma and was surprised to find that he could step on it just fine as if it was normal ground.

This brought a hearty smile from the young swordsman. "Oh man, this is so cool!" Link then put both of his feet on the lava and started to hop around on it.

Kratos sighed in annoyance. "It seems that the Tunic you received from Kratos-goro is much more powerful than I imagined." Link stopped hopping and turned back to Kratos.

"I know! Isn't it great? Now let's just—"

Link was cut off as the entire ground started trembling. It was as if the temple itself was mimicking Link's actions and was hopping up and down. Pieces of rock fell from the ceiling as Kratos unleashed his wings and pushed Link out of harm's way.

_ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!_

Just as the massive trembling started to calm down, both Link and Kratos heard a loud roar. The sound bounced off the walls making it even more loudly as Link gazed upon where he thought the sound was coming from.

"Kratos…you don't think it's…" Dispelling his wings, Kratos made his way towards the source of the sound with Link following behind him.

* * *

The sound of the monster roaring got louder the more Link and Kratos ran towards it. As the two of them went through another door into a different room, they thought that they had found the source of the noise but instead found an old friend.

The Goron they were looking at was holding a large steel door shut with all of his strength and as the door behind Link and Kratos closed, he turned towards them and his eyes widened.

"Link? Kratos? Is it really my old brothers?" Link's eyes widened as Darunia struggled to keep the door closed.

"What's wrong? Why are you holding that door closed! Link shouted as Kratos looked down at Darunia's feet and saw a chilling sight.

"The door chains…they're all melted." Link looked down and indeed saw the broken chains and giant lock of the door and his face paled.

"Then…this door…" Darunia gave a simple nod.

"Indeed brother, this door is the only thing keeping Volvagia stuck inside. If I can't hold back this door, then the dragon will be released and it will burn all of Hyrule to the ground!" Navi flew out of Link's hat and flew over to the goron.

"Just let us in Darunia. Link and Kratos should be able to take care of the dragon." Navi smiled but Darunia shook his head.

"Though the two of them are strong, they still would not be able to defeat him." Navi raised her eyebrows.

"What, why?"

"Darunia is referring to the fact that we lack the ancient weapon to defeat Volvagia." Everyone turned to Kratos. "I'm guessing that this weapon is located somewhere inside the temple…is it not?"

Darunia nodded and his feet started to slip as his grip on the door started to fail. "Yes. But what is also equally important is that you find the prison in the temple that is holding all of my brothers. For if Volvagia does break out of here, my brothers will be fed to the beast and my entire tribe will be lost." Link walked forward a bit and gave a simple nod.

"Then I will go and find the weapon. And Kratos will head towards the prison where the Gorons are and free them…if that's alright with you Kratos?" Link turned toward the angel.

"I have no objections." Darunia could do nothing but smile.

"You two are really something. Now get moving! I don't know how much longer I can hold this door closed."

Both of them took the hint and made their way out of the room from where they came leaving Darunia behind.

"Kratos…Link…good luck." It was at this point that Darunia turned to his left and saw that the metal of the door was getting weaker and weaker from the intense heat of Volvagia.

_RRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!_

* * *

Kratos unfurled his wings and raced forward fast looking for any sign of the prison Darunia mentioned in the temple. While some doors had locks on them, Kratos simply delivered one sword strike to each one to break the locks instead of finding the keys so that he could free the Gorons quicker.

As he was flying through the rooms, the intense trembling and roars of Volvagia drove him to fly ever faster.

* * *

With the Master Sword in hand, Link and Navi made their way through the temple as well, with hope of finding the legendary weapon in order to slay Volvagia. Slaying enemy monsters was just a simple sword slice as Link wanted to get through each room as fast as he could in order to find the weapon Darunia was referring too.

"Link! Hurry!" Sheathing the Master Sword, Link nodded and made his way into the next room where he found himself at what looked like the bottom of a crater. Above him, Link could see a series of platforms probably leading to what he was looking for.

"Navi! Could you fly up there and see if you find any sort of treasure chests up there." The fairy nodded and flew up there.

As Link waited, the trembling increased in magnitude making Link himself more nervous and he tried to make himself calm down until Navi returned.

When Navi did return, she was fluttering around very excited. "Link! Link! There's a big treasure chest up there! I think it's just what we're looking for!"

Link smiled. "Alright, let's go!" However before they made their way to the other side of the crater, a louder, more deafening roar made it to Link and Navi's ears.

"Link…" Link was shocked for a second but then turned to Navi.

"We need to keep moving." Navi said nothing but followed the hero out of the crater.

* * *

"This seems to be the place." Kratos let his feet touch the ground and dispelled his wings as he gazed upon a large metal prison built inside the Fire Temple.

Inside, there looked to be about hundreds of Gorons, some with their hands around the metal bars of the prison doors with most of the others curled into balls, the fear of being food to Volvagia too much to bear for them.

As soon as Kratos approached, the Gorons by the prison bars took a few steps back.

"Stay away servant of Ganondorf!" Kratos eyes widened and he tried to reach out to them.

"No, I'm not—"

"LIAR! Listen well; we will NOT be food for that evil beast!" Kratos let out a sigh of annoyance. Unsheathing his sword, the Gorons by the prison bars eyes widened.

_SLASH! CLING!_

The lock to the prison door fell to the ground, broken. Using his angelic strength, Kratos pulled the prison door off of its hinges.

"I was sent by Darunia to save you. Please, we must make our way out as quickly as possible!" The same Goron stared at Kratos.

"Who are you? What's your name?"

Kratos closed his eyes. "I'm Kratos Aurion. Please, we must get out of here before—"

_RRRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRR!_

The ground trembled and with his angelic hearing, Kratos could tell…Volvagia was loose.

* * *

Climbing up through the Fire Temple was tough, even with the heat resistant tunic Link received from Kratos-goro.

But Link couldn't stop. The roaring coming from deep within the temple told him that Darunia had failed to keep Volvagia out.

He had to keep going.

"Navi…how much…farther?" Navi flew up and out of his sight as Link struggled to keep on climbing. The heat was making him very dizzy.

After getting up a cliff, Link saw Navi coming towards him.

"Link! It's right here. Come on!" With renewed strength, Link raced towards the treasure chest with Navi flying besides him.

As he got in front of it, he opened it and pulled out a very heavy hammer. The head of it was silver while the handle looked to be a mix of steel and platinum.

Navi flew close to take a look at it as well. "Wow…"

Link said nothing as he started running back to face the dragon.

* * *

Kratos looked back at the source of where the roar was coming from before turning back to the Gorons.

"All of you need to get moving. That dragon could be coming here any second." The Gorons stared at him.

"But…what are you going to do?" one Goron asked.

"You can't face that beast all alone!" another cried.

"Without the legendary hammer, you'll die!" another Goron screamed.

Kratos dismissed all their pleas of fear. "I'll take my chances."

_RRRRROOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR! _

Destroying the entire door leading to the prison, an enormous head popped through. Unsheathing Flameberg, Kratos raced towards Volvagia with the only goal on his mind of keeping the beast occupied away from the Gorons.

Giving a deafening roar, the dragon pulled his head out of the busted doorway and used his entire body to destroy the wall around the doorway so that he could come into the room.

But Kratos did not stop. He kept on running towards Volvagia.

_Demon Fang!_

Kratos sent a wave of energy at the dragon but Volvagia simply took to the air and flew straight at Kratos. Volvagia flew towards Kratos, ready to take a bite out of the mercenary but Kratos side stepped as the dragon flew towards him and slashed at the dragon's body. However, Flameberg had little to no effect at all on the creature as the scales on its body felt as hard as metal.

Kratos staggered back and put up his shield as Volvagia unleashed intense flames from its mouth.

"…Ugh!" Kratos dug his feet into the ground to keep himself standing. After the beast let up, Kratos unleashed his wings and took to the air as well.

Several of the Gorons watching had both fear and surprise in the eyes. None of them had run away.

With his sword in hand, Kratos aimed and started hitting the head of the dragon with several sword slices and stabs.

"Lightning Blade!" Again, his attacks did nothing but keep Volvagia occupied. Kratos grunted in frustration.

"Damn! Nothing's working!"

Suddenly, rocks started falling from above hitting Volvagia. Kratos was surprised as Volvagia wasn't causing the temple to tremble. Curious, he looked up and was speechless: most of the Gorons he freed were hurling rocks and boulders at the dragon.

"What are you doing? Get out of here before you're captured by Volvagia and killed!" A large boulder hit Volvagia square on the head, knocking the dragon down to the ground, stunned.

Three of the Gorons turned to Kratos.

"You risked your life to save us!"

"Now it's our turn to help you take on this beast!"

"You've given us the courage to take him on Kratos Aurion!"

No words could come to Kratos as he stared at the inspired Gorons. They would never leave now. They would fight to the death if they had too.

"Alright. Keep him distracted." The Gorons smiled and continued to hurl rocks at the dragon that was starting to get up.

"KRATOS!" Kratos turned to see Link and Navi coming towards him.

"Have you got it?" Link nodded and took out the Megaton Hammer he found. His face paled as he got a look at the dragon.

"Is that? Kratos he's huge!" Kratos watched as Volvagia took to the air again, his attention to the Gorons now.

Navi flew up to Kratos. "It's moving so fast! Kratos, how are we going to use the hammer?"

"OH!" Both Kratos and Navi turned to Link.

"I have an idea."

* * *

The Gorons of Death Mountain continued to pelt Volvagia with rocks. As Volvagia would get close, most Gorons would curl up and roll away. However some weren't so lucky. With his strong teeth and powerful jaws, Volvagia was able to devoured a few of them.

But the Gorons would not give in. They continued to throw rocks at the dragon and keep him distracted.

_Thunder Blade!_

A white sword of electricity stabbed through Volvagia, diverting its attention away from the Gorons and to the hovering Kratos.

"Didn't like that?" Angered, the dragon flew towards Kratos at full speed. Kratos did nothing but float there, waiting for the dragon to hit him.

Closer and closer it came. Right when it was ten feet away, Kratos flew up and behind him came Link who was spun and thrown in the air by one of the Gorons with the Megaton hammer in hand.

Volvagia's eyes widened as Link took the hammer and swung down; hitting the dragon's skull with a loud thud.

Volvagia's eyes glazed back and its whole body fell towards the ground. As Link was falling, Kratos swooped in and caught the boy just as the dragon made contact with the ground.

As Link and Kratos started to disappear, they heard the sounds of all the Gorons cheering their names.

* * *

Both of them appeared in the Chamber of the Sages and saw Darunia appear on the Fire platform. He could do nothing but smile at them.

"Thank you Brothers. Thank you on behalf of the Goron tribe. Especially you Link, you turned out to be a real man after all."

Link could do nothing but smile. Kratos offered his own, more subtle smile.

"Take this medallion, for it contains all of my power to help you on your quest."

With a familiar light shining from the heavens, a bright red medallion fell slowly down into Link's hands and both he and Kratos disappear from the chamber.

_Don't forget, you two and I are TRUE brothers!_

* * *

Kratos and Link descended down from the sky at the base of Death Mountain. Link turned to Kratos.

"We should head over to Malon's." However Kratos shook his head.

"We should gather more information on where the next temple is and—" However Kratos was cut off by Link's laughter. "May I ask what is so funny?" Link turned back to Kratos, red in the face.

"Look down at yourself." Kratos did so and noticed that most of his purple traveling clothes had severe burns marks and many holes in them.

"I offered to get Malon to sew that up for you but if you want to go to the next temple…"

"Let's just go." Kratos said as he made his way towards Lon Lon Ranch with Link and Navi laughing behind him.

**Me: Jeez, this chapter took SO long to write.**

**Martel: excuses!**

**Me: I'd like to thank my cool friend happy ametuer for helping me with this chapter. She is awesome!**


	32. Yin and Yang

**Me: Oh I'm going to be hated after people read this. **

**Martel: Big Boss doesn't own ToS or LoZ. **

Chapter 32

Yin and Yang

Link, Navi, Kratos, and Noishe decided to spend a day off at Malon's house while she sewed up Kratos' purple traveling cloths. In exchange for the service, Link and Kratos had volunteered to do the usual choices around the ranch in order to keep it running. Though Link had helped Malon take back her father's ranch, there was still a lot of work to be done and the demand for Lon Lon Milk never went down, even in the dark times the people were living in.

Because Malon was fixing Kratos' cloths, Link had let Kratos borrow his green tunic and he had kept wearing the red tunic he had received from Kratos-Goro. Link thought it would fit Kratos perfectly because of the fact that Link was wearing the same green tunic he wore as a child. He thought maybe his green tunic had something magical sewn into the cloth that allowed it to fit anybody, sort of like a…one size fits all sock.

And Link was right! Once Kratos had put on the green tunic, it increased in length by just a little bit. But once Link got a good look of Kratos, he almost fell to the ground laughing. Kratos kept his purple traveling pants on with his usual boots but he just wore the forest green tunic over his mid-section with a belt wrapping around his waist making it look like a skirt. Suddenly, Link got off the floor and put the finishing touch on Kratos. Getting his green cap, he put it on Kratos' head and he again fell to the ground laughing.

The next morning, Kratos (who was wearing his usual cloths now), Link, Navi, and Noishe had decided to head towards the Zora River. Link didn't know how, but Navi had somehow known that there was a cold chill coming from Zora's Domain.

He and Kratos glanced at each other but they had decided to follow her advice. Since they had first gone to Kokiri Forest…and then Death Mountain, Link and Kratos had no doubt that Ganondorf had visited the Zoras at least once in the past seven years.

As the group walked along the Zoran river bank, they had noticed that the water level had started to drop. The flow of the river was dramatically decreasing the closer the group got to Zora's Domain.

Link had started to shiver. He wrapped his arms close to his chest in a desperate attempt to get warm. Navi had decided to fly into Link's hat and wrap herself in his long blond hair to keep warm. Kratos had simply used his Cruxis Crystal to block out the brutality of the cold. The only one that seemed happy that it was cold was Noishe. The Fenrilra decided to run on ahead of Kratos and Link barking happily.

"H-Hey Kr-Kratos?" Kratos turned to the shivering boy.

"Yes what is it Link?" Kratos swore he could hear his teeth chattering.

"H-H-How c-come N-Noishe isn't c-cold?" At this a warm memory came to Kratos.

"Noishe just prefers colder climates. His favorite past time however is rolling in—."

"SNOW!" Link yelled. He rushed over near Noishe to find the protozoan rolling around in piles of the white powder. Kratos couldn't help but smile at the sight of Link diving into the same pile of snow Noishe was rolling around in. Kratos just walked over to him.

"I thought you were cold Link." Link smirked and continued to roll around.

"I don't like the cold…but I never miss an opportunity to play in snow. It rarely snowed in the Kokiri Forest." Just then, Link laid back and moved his arms and legs from side to side.

A goofy smile appeared on his face as he got up. "Hehehehe, hey look Noishe…I made a Snow-Kratos!" Kratos glanced down at the snow angel Link had made. Both he and Noishe broke out into a fit of laughter and even Kratos had a subtle smile on his face until he glanced upward. His smile faded away and he got serious fast.

"Link…I think I know why it's so cold and why the river stopped flowing."

"Huh?" Link turned around to see the waterfall that kept outsiders away from Zora's Domain. The entire waterfall was frozen solid and it looked completely white leading the two of them to believe that the Domain had probably been frozen for a very long time.

* * *

The normal covered rock paths of Zora's Domain were now covered with a thin sheet of ice and snow making walking very difficult for Link. Occasionally he would lose his balance and fall to the ground but Link would just walk it off. He had certainly been through much worse in his journey so far.

Kratos gazed around the Domain. It looked almost exactly like it had the seven years previous except for two glaring facts. The first fact was that all the lakes, small streams, and waterfalls all over the Domain were frozen solid making both Kratos and Link scratch their heads. They knew that Ganondorf had come here but…what EXACTLY did he do?

The second glaring fact that was staring both swordsmen in the face was a similar fact they faced when they got to Goron City. Link turned to Kratos a little worried.

"Kratos…the Zoras are nowhere to be found. You don't think they too were taken away." Kratos closed his eyes.

"It's possible. For now, let's keep walking around the Domain. We may find a clue or two telling us what happened here." Link nodded and the two of them continued to walk around the Domain.

The two of them along with Noishe walked around the Domain for another ten minutes. It was largely uneventful except for the red ice both Link and Kratos encountered that was blocking the entrance into the Zora item shop. Kratos mentally noted it.

'Red ice? Well this is something new.'

Suddenly Noishe whined. The protozoan started sniffing at the ground and walking at the same time.

Link raised his eyebrows and turned to Kratos. "What's with Noishe?" But Kratos ignored Link.

"What is it Noishe?" The protozoan stopped sniffing and turned up to Kratos.

"**I smell something…something fishy. Kratos, I smell something that is still alive in this frozen cavern!" **Kratos' eyes widened.

"Really? Well then, lead the way Noishe!" The protozoan nodded and started to follow his nose going towards the slippery steps of the Domain. Turning to Link, Kratos decided to fill him in.

"Noishe said that he smelled something that was still alive. Let's follow him." At this, Link nodded and the two of them followed the fenrilra up and up several flights of stairs.

Climbing the last step Kratos, Link, and Noishe turned left into the next room to find a very chilling sight. King Zora was frozen solid inside what looked like the same red ice Kratos and Link saw a little while ago near the entrance of the Domain. Noishe ran over to the frozen king and clawed at the ice, whimpering.

"Stand back Noishe." Turning over to Kratos, Noishe saw several red runes appear under the angel and he ran over near him to take cover.

_Eruption!_

A miniature volcano appeared underneath the fish king and it erupted. Kratos hoped to melt the ice off the Zora King and get some information out of him. However, everyone was shocked to see that Kratos' attack didn't work. The red ice stayed solid and none of it looked even the tiniest bit melted.

Link stared at the sight. "How is this even possible?" Kratos shook his head and shock once again took over his face.

"Link, look at the normal ice surrounding the Zora King." Confused, Link looked down and the same shock filled his face as well. Even the normal ice wasn't even melted. Kratos' spell had no affect at all.

"B-But…I felt the heat of that spell." Kratos sighed.

"Let's take our investigation to Zora's Fountain. Perhaps we may find what we are looking for there." Taking his advice, Link and Noishe followed Kratos up the steps leading towards the Zora's most sacred place.

* * *

Unlike Zora's Domain, Zora's Fountain had a lot more significant changes in the last seven years. The most obvious change was the absence of Jabu-Jabu. The thought of that proud beast becoming a victory meal for Ganondorf proved to be rather unpleasant to Kratos.

Kratos watched as Link griped his mid-section with his arms, shivering. Judging by the amount of shivering Link was doing, Kratos inferred that the source of whatever was causing Zora's Domain to be cursed to an eternal winter was somewhere in this area. Large plates of ice now floated on the water beyond Jabu-Jabu's old shrine that led right to a lone cave that Kratos never noticed until now.

'The goddesses…could this ice be their doing?'

"Alright, let's go towards that cave." Link just narrowed his eyes at his teacher causing Kratos to tilt his head to the side. "What is it Link?"

"It's nothing but…why is it that YOU'RE always leading?"

Kratos couldn't believe Link was thinking about this now.

"I do not think this is the time or place to discuss this right now Link." Link just glared at him.

"I just wanna know. Do you think that I'm not smart enough to lead us through the dungeons or something?" Kratos sighed.

"No…that's not it at all. Look, just follow me into this…Ice Cave okay. I promise to sit back the next time we go to another dungeon." Link was silent for a moment before giving Kratos a short nod.

As they approached the first floating ice plate, Kratos stepped aside and let Link jump onto it first. Link did so and nearly slipped when he landed on it. Being made of ice made it very slippery and the fact that Link had to jump towards three more to make it to the Ice Cave made Link sweat even in this cold environment.

After a long and grueling ten minutes, Link had successfully made it to the entrance of the Ice Cave. Turning around, he yelled to Kratos.

"Alright Kratos, your turn!" Glancing between the ice plates and Link, Kratos sighed and turned to Noishe.

"Stay here until we get back out." Even Noishe turned to Link.

"**How does he forget you have wings?"** Kratos sighed.

"Link proves to be as smart as Lloyd sometimes." After a flash of white light, Kratos unfurled his wings and quickly flew over to see a very embarrassed and annoyed Link.

"Uh…" Kratos rolled his eyes.

"Let's move on."

Going inside the cave, they were very surprised. The cave itself was no bigger than any of the Great Fairies caves the two have been to before. But they were even more surprised to find Shiek standing behind a large treasure chest.

A smile came to Link's face. "Shiek!" The young man offered Link a simple nod before speaking.

"If you two came here to meet the Zoras, you wasted your time…this is all that is left…with one exception. The Zoras are now sealed under this thick ice sheet." Shock came to both Kratos and Link.

"What! All the Zoras are frozen under the ice!" Sheik nodded.

"Yes, however, I was able to rescue the Zora Princess from under the ice, but she left to head to the Water Temple." Kratos' eyes narrowed at Sheik.

'Water Temple?'

"This ice was created by an evil curse. The monster in the Water Temple is the source of that curse. Unless you two defeat that monster, this ice will never melt." The desire to save the Zoras filled Link's body. Seeing that desire, Sheik smiled.

"If you have the courage to confront the danger and save the Zoras, I will teach you the melody that leads to the temple." Sheik then stared deep into Link's eyes.

"Time passes, people move… Like a river's flow, it never ends… A childish mind will turn into noble ambition, young love shall become deep affection, and the clear water's surface reflects growth. Now listen to the _Serenade of Water _to reflect upon yourself." Pulling out a familiar golden harp, Sheik began to play a beautiful song.

As Link played along with Sheik, Kratos closed his eyes. This song in particular made him feel very relaxed. Even the notes themselves connected so fluidly together like water.

Water. Images of Luin and its noble fountain came to Kratos' mind. Images of Anna came to Kratos' mind as well. She would put her hand in the fountain water and drag it along, creating little ripples in the water.

"Kratos!"

"…!" Kratos mind came back to reality. He never imagined one of Sheik's songs could invoke such dormant feelings buried inside of him before.

"Kratos!" Kratos glanced over to Link, his eyes misted. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Link tilted his head.

"You were out of it for a while. While you were daydreaming, I found these!" Link dropped what looked like deep sea diver boots. Navi flew out of Link's hat.

"With these, you'll be able to walk underwater!" Kratos eyebrows scrunched together.

"How would that help? Link would drown. And even if he managed to find away to breathe underwater, the boots would restrict his movement so much that he'd be easy prey to monsters.

Silence.

Link rubbed his back nervously. "So…leave them here?" Kratos gave Link a slow nod and the Hero of Time threw them on the ground before following Kratos out of the cave.

* * *

Upon leaving the Zora's Fountain, Kratos, Link, and Noishe again encountered the frozen form of King Zora. Kratos put his hand on the red ice and sighed. "Hopefully he'll be free as soon as we release the next sage in the Water Temple." Realization flooded Link's face.

"Wait Kratos! I think we can free him now." Confusion overtook Kratos' face as Link reached into his pack to grab one of his empty bottles.

Only thing was the bottle wasn't empty. It was filled with what looked like blue fire. Kratos raised his eyebrows.

"What is that Link?" Link looked down and smiled.

"While you were in deep thought, Sheik showed me what looked like a shrine where this blue fire is burning. The blue fire is the only thing that can melt the red ice that froze the Zora King." Kratos and Noishe took a step back as Link uncorked the bottle. Tipping the top of it slowly downward as if to pour a liquid, the blue fire streamed out of the bottle and gathered around the red ice, slowly melting and freeing the King Zora.

The Zora's eyes opened and Link and Kratos walked over to the platform to greet him.

"Oh—I've come back to life!" King Zora glanced down at Link. "Was it you that saved me? Don't be nervous! Please, take this tunic as a token of my gratitude." Link reached out and received a Blue Tunic from King Zora.

"With this, you will be able to breathe underwater. Please, go to the aid of my daughter and rescue my people." Kratos and Link nodded.

"We will." The two of them along with Noishe made their leave and walked out of the Domain with Link grinning like crazy.

"Hey Kratos! I'll finally be able to use these songs to transport myself. Here watch!" Putting the Ocarina of Time to his mouth, Link went on to play the Serenade of Water and vanished right in front of Noishe and Kratos.

Kratos sighed. "Come, let us follow him." Getting on his back, Noishe broke out into a fast jog before taking to the air.

Kratos had to admit that the ride to Lake Hylia on Noishe's back was quite…fun. A smile formed on his face and stayed all the way to the lake.

* * *

Circling the lake from the air, Noishe took his time with a nice soft landing near where Link was waving to the two of them from the ground.

Upon getting off of Noishe, Kratos had noticed that Link had changed into his blue tunic that the King Zora had given him.

"You ready for this Kratos." Kratos nodded and turned back to his old friend.

"Stay here, we'll be out as soon as we can." Noishe whined and gave Kratos a lick to the face.

Link chuckled at the sight of them but it faded away as he and Kratos turned to see the lake. Because the river had all but dried up over here, the water level in the lake was dangerously low. Jumping down, Kratos and Link almost slipped as their feet dug into the soggy lake mud. It only became worse the closer the two of them got to the bottom of the lake. Dark clouds suddenly started to appear above them and thick cold rain begun to pour directly where the lakebed temple was. To Kratos, this was NOT a good sign.

Only eight feet of water remained in the entire lake, with the entrance to the temple underwater. Link turned to Kratos perplexed.

"Hey wait. How are you going to breathe underwater?" Kratos tapped his Cruxis Crystal.

"This crystal has given me near god-like abilities. Being able to stop breathing is one of those abilities." Link just stared at him horrified.

"B-But, it's like you're not alive. It's like you're some kind of…lifeless being!" Kratos body stiffened and Link noticed. "What?"

"…Nothing. Come let's get going."

"Just remember it's MY turn to lead the way in this temple. I don't want any help Kratos."

Kratos said nothing and the two of them dived underwater and entered the Water Temple.

* * *

Link's eye twitched. "KRATOS! WHAT THE FUCK! WHY IS THIS TEMPLE SO FUCKING CONFUSING! WHY THE HELL DID YOU GET TO DO THE EASY ICE CAVE? I JUST WANNA—"

_SMACK!_

Kratos slapped Link upside the head. They had been in the Water Temple for close to two hours and they had only found one key. Kratos had respected Link's wishes and let him try to navigate through the temple all on his own.

Only problem was…Link was struggling on using the actual water in the temple to explore other areas. Link turned and glared at Kratos.

"What the hell was that for! Kratos easily returned Link's glare back.

"You're overconfidence has been clouding your judgment. Admit that you need some assistance and let me help you Link!"

Link looked down defeated. "I'm sorry Kratos. I just felt that I could do this on my own." Kratos shook his head.

"There's no reason you HAVE to do this on your own. I'm here to help you…so let me help you." Breathing out a deep sigh, Link turned to Kratos.

"Your right Kratos…it was stupid of me to think I had to do this on my own. Do you have any suggestions?" Kratos gave him a small smile.

Over the next hour, Kratos had given Link instructions and tips on how to use the water in the temple to collect all the keys they needed and to progress further in. The two of them eventually encountered a new enemy. Its body looked like one big mouth and stomach.

"Whoa! What are these?" Navi flew out of his hat.

"Like-Likes! Be careful, they will eat your shield and cloths." Link looked horrified.

"Ew!" Link switched to using his arrows to kill those creatures and used his hookshot to get to the next room. Kratos used his wings to fly over the spikes.

The next room surprised everyone. It was very spacious with one single dead tree in the middle of it. The floor was flooded with about three inches of water making Link and Kratos reflections unusually clear in the water.

Link looked around cautiously. "I know the drill by now. There's a guy we have to fight in here. But I see nothing." Kratos narrowed his eyes but he too, could not see anything as the two of them slowly walked to the other side of the room.

"Be on your guard. I have a bad feeling about this…" Swords and shields out, each one slowly let their eyes scan the room, looking for anything that could be hiding. Passing by the lone tree, neither swordsman noticed that their reflections had all but disappeared from the water.

As they got to the other end of the room, Link's shoulders dropped.

"Nothing. Kratos, if something was inside the room, it would have attacked us already." Kratos closed his eyes.

"Still, I sense a foreboding mist in the air Link."

"**As perceptive as ever Master!" **Both Link and Kratos turned around to see the person that they had heard. This was something neither of them were expecting.

"W-What!"

"Impossible!"

The dark figure walked slowly towards them. Kratos couldn't believe it. The enemy…was Link! It was Link…but it wasn't. Its body was completely shrouded in shadow with the exception of his bloody red eyes.

The double Link smirked at both of their expressions. **"You should see the look on your faces." **He laughed for a couple of seconds before turning to glare at Link. **"Link…if you small worthless mind still doesn't get it, I'll fill you in. I am you…or at least…HALF of you. I am the representation of everything you have ever desired, wanted, hated…" **Dark Link smirked. **"…and everything you have ever **_**lusted **_**for!"** Genuine fear crept up Link's spine. How was he going to fight himself?

Link slowly raised up the Master Sword and his Hylian Shield causing Dark Link to laugh again.

"**Do you REALLY think that you can defeat me? ME!" **Kratos narrowed his eyes at him and brought up Flameberg.

"Though you are my pupil, I will show you no mercy. Link won't be fighting alone!" Link smiled.

"**That's where your wrong, Kratos!" **Horror filled Kratos. He quickly turned to his left to see a shadow of himself as well, flying towards him with pure black wings. With no time to react, Shadow Kratos grabbed Kratos and both disappeared in a mix of white and black light.

Link and Navi eyes widened.

"Kratos. Kratos! Where are you?" Dark Link only laughed at his counterpart.

"**Aw! Can't fight without Kratos! Well you can forget it! Shadow Kratos will be dealing with him in the underground river below us. It's just you…" **Dark Link unsheathed his shadow sword. **"…And me. Show me what you got Link!"**

Dark Link broke into a sprint with his sword and shield in hand. Link brought up his sword to block.

'Kratos…good luck.'

* * *

In a flash of black and white light, both Aurions reappeared in a large underground river cave. Many stalactites littered the roof of the cave along with the many small whirlpools in the river of the cave.

Shadow Kratos wrestled Kratos off of him and punched him in the face. Kratos staggered back but came right back at him with Flameberg and the inflicted fast paced sword slices at Shadow Kratos only to have them blocked and have his shadow counter attack him.

But Kratos was ready and was able to parry one of his sword slices.

_Slice!_

"**Ah!" **Shadow Kratos took a step back as his left arm started to bleed.

"**I knew you were going to do that. Just like I know you're going to—" **Kratos then took to the air and flew towards the large amounts of stalactites on the ceiling of the cave. **"—do that."**

Shadow Kratos narrowed his eyes. The mist given off by the many waterfalls in the cave provided the perfect camouflage for hiding Kratos' blue wings.

"**What are you hiding for?"**

"_I fight much better in the dark."_

"**I used to think that too, but what have you ever accomplished? Following blindly to wishs of a madman."**

"_It was for the greater good."_

"**Quit lying to yourself. If you truly believed that, you would have killed that brat and restored to the worlds together yourself. Take over…like we did."** Shadow Kratos walked around jumping from rock to rock looking for Kratos. **"Think about our world. It is complete, whole; a world where Ganondorf controls everything. Keeping it secure while maintaining dominance over it."**

"_It is a world built on the blood of the innocent. A world where no one has a choice_." Kratos glanced behind and saw Shadow Kratos diving at him sword drawn. He side-stepped him and delivered another deep cut to his arm.

Shadow Kratos flinched and grabbed his right arm.

"_What gives you the right to decide the fate of this world?"_

"**What gave you the right to decide the fate of our old world! Mithos accomplished nothing. Racism between the races never disappeared. But Ganondorf has united the people of this world and its races."**

"_By killing off any races that oppose him and subjugating the rest of them to his will. It seems you forgot to mention that."_

"**I didn't forget. I can careless about this world. I just chose security and control over peace through the power of the Triforce."**

"_YOU GRABBED THAT POWER!"_

"**AND WITH THAT POWER, I'LL BE ABLE TO WISH BACK OUR WIFE THAT WE LOST…BECAUSE OF SOME POWER HUNGRY HALF-ELF!"**

The sound of metal clinging filled the cave. Shadow Kratos turned to his right to see Flameberg dropping to the ground by his feet. Turning up, he could see Kratos staring at him. Shadow Kratos' guard dropped a bit.

"You win…"

**Me: ...**

**Martel: O.o**

**Me: Review.**


	33. Yang and Yin

**Me: It's been longer than usual but that's college for me.**

**Martel: I'll have to admit, Big Boss has been up to his eyes in papers, mid-terms, readings, and...SPANISH!**

**Me: Don't say that! *runs off scared***

**Martel: Ugh...Big Boss doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

Chapter 33

Yang and Yin

"_Ha!"_

_Clang! Slice!_

Shadow Kratos and Kratos turned their heads towards the roof of the cave and heard the sounds of Link and Dark Link battle ringing in their ears.

"**It seems that the two of them are still fighting up there."** Shadow Kratos turned to see Kratos walk past him.

"Then shouldn't we stop them." Shadow Kratos narrowed his eyes at his light counterpart and reluctantly started to follow them.

Just as he caught up to Kratos, the space around the two of them seemed to…distort. The colors of red, blue, and green filled up the space where both Shadow Kratos and Kratos saw their bodies twist and bend before the two of them and they disappeared from the underground cave in the Water Temple.

* * *

"Watch out!" Link's eyes widened as he back-flipped away from Dark Link's horizontal slice.

So far the fight between the two of them was pretty much a stalemate. Neither one inflicted any serious wounds on the other and much of their offensive strikes were dodged by side-stepping or jumping out of the way.

Shield and sword in hand, Link sprinted towards his opponent and began a series of light but quick sword slices.

_Slice! Slice! Slice!_

Dark Link smirked the entire time and stood his ground, blocking each and every sword strike that went his way. He bided his time, waiting for his opponent to get sloppy by leaving himself open.

His opportunity soon came when a tired Link performed a weak vertical sword slice at him. Dark Link easily blocked the attack and pushed Link's sword away from his body.

Link's eyes widened when it happened. As soon as the Master Sword was pushed away from him, Dark Link thrusted his shield forward at his head, knocking him out for half a second.

But that half a second was all Dark Link needed as it left Link unguarded long enough for him to stab him in his shield arm and left leg.

"Aaaaahhh!" Link fell to his knees and clutched his bleeding leg. He paid no mind to his arm as his leg continued to bleed over his hand.

Link glanced up and saw Dark Link's sword pointed straight at his neck smirking.

"**Is that all that you got! You make me feel insulted to be a part of you!"** Dark side-stepped backwards. **"You are a FAILED hero! Stuck for seven years in limbo; unable to stop Ganondorf from killing Hyrule's king and destroying the castle along with the town. You should feel ashamed for all the lives lost because YOU weren't there!"**

"…" Link said nothing. The hero gritted his teeth in pain. He had had worse injuries but his shadow's words pierced his heart. He did feel ashamed. This was the first time Link had given any thought to the people of Castle Town who probably died because he wasn't there to stop Ganondorf from obtaining the Triforce.

Dark Link's eyes blazed sadistically. **"You failed Hero. Failed Hyrule, failed its people, but most importantly…you failed the one you hold most in your heart…**_**Zelda**_**!"**

Suddenly the grief left Link's body. He felt…anger course through his body and despite his injuries, Link leaped off the ground and at his evil self, heart pounding. "NO! You're wrong!" Link had no shield, for he had dropped it after his arm was stabbed. With only the Master Sword in hand, Link leaped at Dark Link and pulled his arm back, preparing to stab him.

Satisfaction surged through Dark Link's body. As soon as Link's stab was in position, Dark Link leapt from the ground and landed…on top of Link's blade while it was still in a stabbing motion. Link's eyes widened and Dark Link delivered a hard kick to his face and back flipped off as Link fell back.

Link fell back into a mangled mess as Dark Link sheathed his sword.

"**You have failed her…**_**Hero!**_**" **

"Ugh…" Link didn't move, he couldn't move as the sounds of Dark Link's laughter roared in his ears.

* * *

In a burst of red, blue, and green light, both Kratos and Shadow Kratos appeared out of thin air and hit hard, rocky terrain.

Shadow Kratos was the first to rise to his feet and he looked around to get his bearings. He narrowed his blood-red eyes.

"**The foot of Death Mountain? How did we get here?"** Dusting himself off, Kratos soon stood up and glanced around.

Shadow Kratos was indeed right. Both Aurions stood on the beginning of the rocky trail leading up to Goron City and the Fire Temple.

But how did they get here? One moment they were in the bowels of the Water Temple; the next minute, they're at the base of Death Mountain. How did they get all the way here?

Kratos' eyes widened. The multi-colored vortex! Could it have been…?

Kratos closed his eyes and regained his composure. The angel started to make his way to Kakiriko Village. Shadow Kratos stared at him.

"**Where are you going?"** Kratos didn't even turn around to acknowledge him.

"Back to the Temple. However, it would be very unwise to fly there right now. At least over the village." Shadow Kratos raised his eyebrows.

"**Did you forget that I am a living shadow? How am I supposed to walk through the village without people staring at me?"** Kratos cranked his head back a bit.

"You can fly around and meet me at the other end of the village, can you not?" Kratos then turned back around and continued walking.

"**WAIT!"** Again, Kratos turned around to see his darker self tinkering with the Cruxis Crystal on his hand. In a flash of darkness, Shadow Kratos' appearance changed. Instead of being a duplicate shadow copy of Kratos, his entire form changed to what the real Kratos looked like. It was like Kratos was staring into a mirror. However, Shadow Kratos wasn't done. Opening his wingpack, Shadow Kratos went behind a rock and emerged a few minutes later wearing the Cruxis uniform the both of them knew so well.

Shadow Kratos just stared at Kratos. **"I assume this will suffix." **

"Humph, do as you will."

The two of them then walked into the village. Little had changed in the village when Kratos, Link, and Noishe were here just days before. Kratos finally noticed just how large the village had become while he and Link were gone.

"It's hard to imagine just how large this village has become in seven short years."

Both Kratos' saw a couple of kids running past and around them, playing a friendly game of tag.

Shadow Kratos watched as the kids ran to the middle of the village. **"This world is still** **very much the same as before. The only difference is that there is a different power ruling the country."**

"…" Kratos did not respond to Shadow Kratos. He heard the very low sound of a creature growling from somewhere. Shadow Kratos heard it too and he turned to see Kratos staring at the village well.

Suddenly the earth began to shake and everyone in the village stopped what they were doing. Each of them were paralyzed by fear as nearby pots fell and broke on the ground.

Kratos winced at the loud and sudden roar coming from the bottom of the well. The roar seemed to wake everyone up as all of them were either running into their houses or panicking in the streets.

"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

"EVIL! EVIL LIES IN THAT WELL!"

"OH GREAT GANONDORF…WE ARE SORRY! PLEASE SPARE US!"

Kratos and Shadow Kratos watched as everyone eventually ran into their homes to hide from whatever made that roar. They were the only two people left outside in the village even after the trembling and the roaring died down.

Both were silent as they made their way to the village entrance. Before they left the village, Kratos stopped and turned to look back at the village. It was then that Kratos broke the silence.

"They would love it here, wouldn't they?" Shadow Kratos turned over to Kratos, perplexed.

"**Who?"**

"Lloyd and Anna. They'd be _so _proud of you." Shadow Kratos glared at him before turning around to exit the village, not saying a word to Kratos.

Kratos followed behind him and the two of them unfurled their wings and flew back towards the Water Temple.

* * *

Dark Link's laughter pierced Link's ears. The young Hero of Time could do nothing but lay on the ground, broken and tired.

It was then that Navi flew out of Link's hat and floated next to his face.

"Come on Link! Get up! Get up!" The fairy herself, tried to lift Link's face off the ground but to no avail. Link's eyes slowly opened, watching Navi unsuccessfully trying to pick him up from the ground.

"N-Navi…" Link's voice croaked; his throat very dry and weak from fighting his own shadow. Navi glanced and flew up to his eyes.

"Link! Get up! You have to defeat this guy. If you don't, who will defeat Ganondorf and rescue the Princess?" Link's eyes glazed over.

"I can't beat him Navi. He's…too strong." Navi narrowed her eyes and bopped him in the head.

"Don't be an idiot. You've faced many other monsters way larger and more powerful than this guy. Remember, he's just you. Meaning…whatever your greatest weakness is, it's _his _greatest weakness as well." Link's eyes widened.

"I-I'm good with swordsmanship and fighting but not…" Slowly, Link reached into his pack and brought out a red crystal.

The Hero of Time slowly got up to see Dark Link smirking at him.

"**So…ready to admit defeat?"** Link glared at him as Navi flew up to his side.

"Never! Though you are my shadow, I WILL defeat you!" Summoning the last of his strength, Link just charged at Dark Link, sword and shield in hand. Dark Link just smirked and unsheathed his own sword and ran towards Link.

Time seemed to slow for the two of them as they both got closer and closer to each other. Finally, when the two of them were in striking range of each other and Dark Link pulled his sword arm back, readying a final strike. But suddenly fear overtook his body.

Dark Link witness Link pull out Din's Fire and it was thrown straight at Dark Link. In an explosion of red light, fire overtook his entire body. The shadow dropped his sword and shield and grasped his body in utter pain as Link rolled to the side, avoiding the flames of the spell.

Link continued to roll around his burning shadow until he was directly behind him. With the Master Sword in hand, he delivered the final blow.

_STAB!_

Dark Link's eyes glazed over as he looked down at himself. The Master Sword had gone into his back and straight through his heart. The Dark entity fell to his knees and his head slowly turned towards Link.

The two of them stared into each other's eyes for what seemed the longest minute in Link's life. It was soon broken by Dark Link's vicious smirk before the shadow fell towards the watery ground and disappearing into a thousand shadowy pieces.

Link slowly walked towards the spot Dark Link died and picked up the Master Sword before slowly sheathing it away. As he turned over to Navi, he rubbed his back nervously.

"Navi…I don't know what to say other than…thank you." The fairy just smiled.

"Don't thank me just yet. You still have to defeat the creature here. Go through that door." Seeing that the door on the other side of the room was open, Link walked towards it as the entire room he was in changed back to look like a part of the temple.

Looking forward, Link hoped Kratos was okay.

* * *

Noishe laid on his side, snoozing away. The Protozoan always caught up getting a few Zzz's whenever Link and Kratos released a sage.

The protozoan opened his eyes and yawned.

"…**What's taking those two so long? This water temple couldn't be any harder than the Seal of Water could it?"**

_Whoooooossssh! Flash! _

Noishe eyes shot up to see two blue and black streams of light flying towards Lake Hylia at a fast pace. The twin lights angled down towards the lake and Noishe covered his eyes as the lights exploded on the surface of the lake, leaving blue and black feathers on the top of the lake.

His heart pounding, Noishe ran towards the shore of the lake. **"That mana…it felt like** **Kratos but…"** Noishe watched as one blue feather and one black feather encircle each other on the water's surface.

* * *

With his newly acquired Longshot, Link and Navi made quick work of the rest of the Water Temple and the two of them stood before the large chained up boss door in the Temple.

"Ready Link?" Link took a deep breath.

"…Yeah. It's just…I've always had Kratos for support. I wish was here to support me." Navi nodded. After searching tooth and nail in the Water Temple, they had found no sign of the angel and it worried the both of them to their cores.

Unlocking the door, Link walked through the door and into the room. It was very small, not even half the size of the giant room where he fought Dark Link.

The walls had giant spikes pointing straight towards the middle of the room where there was a pool with four large pillars in it.

As soon as Link got close to the water, Navi shuddered and pulled Link's ear back.

"Link, be careful. This is not normal water!"

_Swusssshh! Glom…glomp!_

Link turned around to see a horrible sight. The water itself was the dungeon monster. Using what looked like liquid tentacles, it climbed out of the water and its body contorted into an indescribable shape with its water body pointing itself at Link.

Link unsheathed his sword and shield and watched as a ball-like object swam through the seemingly alive water. The ball, seeing Link's sword and shield, immediately swam back into the pool it was in and the water body grew several more tentacles on its enormous body.

All of the tentacles went for Link and Link back-flipped to dodge. He swung his sword at the water but just sliced through. As his sword went through, Link felt that the monster's body wasn't all water; it was more of a…watery-jelly substance to him.

The sword strike did not affect the monster at all as his sword went through one tentacle which looked undamaged. Seeing Link was open after that attack, one of the monsters tentacles wrapped around Link and began to swing him around the small room he was in. The monster would occasionally dunk Link in the watery-jelly liquid of the pool and the substance stung at Link's flesh.

His senses were on overdrive and he was not prepared for this. As the monster pulled Link out of the pool, the ball-like object swam up to what looked like the head of the monster and stared at green-clad hero.

Desperately, Link tried to aim his Longshot at the head of this beast, but the monster squeezed Link's body, making him drop the Longshot in the pool.

"GAH!" Link cried out and several other tentacles formed around him** (A.N. Yaoi fangirls calm the hell down please)**. Just as the other tentacles started to wrap themselves around him, Link was blinded by a flash of dark light. He immediately felt the grip of the tentacles loosen up around him and he dropped towards the pool, only to be caught by someone.

Slowly laying Link on the ground, Kratos applied several First Aid spells to Link's body followed by a Healing Wind spell. As the life and color came back to Link's face, he saw Kratos looking over him.

"Link, are you alright?" Link said nothing, just nodding at Kratos. However the color that his face just regained drained at the sight of the OTHER person in the room. Shadow Kratos walked towards Kratos with his sword in hand.

"KRATOS! LOOK OUT!" Link screamed and fidgeted but he couldn't get up because of his already weakened body. Shadow Kratos walked next to Kratos' side.

"**Morpha has been taken care of."** Shadow Kratos pointed towards the drawn and quartered Morpha nucleus in one of the corners of the room. Kratos nodded.

"Good, now let's get you to your feet." Kratos slowly got Link to his feet and Link just glared at Shadow Kratos who merely stared back at him.

As soon as Link was standing, he turned to Kratos.

"Kratos…why is _he _here?" Kratos sighed.

"After I disappeared with him, we fought in an underground river area in the Temple. Eventually, he convinced me to help him serve Ganondorf to get the Triforce." Shock was on Link's face as he took a step back.

"Why Kratos? Why are you helping him!" Kratos shook his head.

"That…is only half of the story. After being transported near Kakiriko Village by an unknown force, I was able to peacefully convince my shadow to see the light, so to speak." Link glanced over to Shadow Kratos. "He was the one who slayed Morpha as I rescued you from him."

Link's feet were trembling beneath him as he looked at Kratos' shadow. "I never thought something evil would save me."

"**Evil is a certain point of view. I…we only wanted the Triforce to bring back our wi—"**

Kratos cleared his throat cutting off his shadow from talking further. His shadow got the message and kept his mouth shut.

"To bring back what? Tell me!" Kratos closed his eyes.

"I'll explain later Link. Now tell me something: what happened to your shadow?" Link blinked a bit.

"He was one of the toughest foes I have ever faced but I was able to kill him." Shadow Kratos' eyes widened.

"**You what?" **Kratos turned to him.

"Is there something you would like to tell us?" Shadow Kratos gave a short nod.

"**Each living being has light and darkness in them sometimes referred to as Yin and Yang. They influence any person's decisions based on what we want and what is right. You will**_** always **_**have darkness in you Link and because you killed Dark Link, he'll eventually revive himself in the distant future more powerful than he was now." **Link's eyes widened.

"Really! B-But how will I defeat him when he comes back!" Shadow Kratos offered Link a smile.

"Hold true to your beliefs in your heart. They are your greatest strength towards the darkness." Shadow Kratos turned to Kratos. "It is time to join together again. Because I am still alive, our Yin and Yang will be forever in balance. Let us stop Ganondorf together." Shadow Kratos offered a hand to Kratos.

A small smile escaped Kratos' lips as he reached for Shadow Kratos' hand and shook it. A bright light engulfed the room, a mix of bright yellow light and bright dark light. Link shielded his eyes and Navi flew under his hat.

As the light died down, only one Kratos stood; his yin and yang in total balance with his body.

He turned to Link and they both took their exit to the Chamber of the Sages where they meant up with Princess Ruto. The princess of the Zoras smiled brightly at Link while he sort of duck behind Kratos' tall form.

"Link…I would have expected no less from the man I chose to be my husband. Because of your actions, Zora's Domain has begun to thaw out and its people will eventually return to normal. As a reward, I grant my eternal love to you."

Link ducked further behind Kratos and even Kratos flinched from the princess' words. Soon a sad smile over took Ruto's face.

"However, I don't think I can offer that now. I must guard this Temple as the Sage of Water…and you…you're searching for the princess Zelda?" Link uncomfortably rubbed his back.

"…Well…yes Princess Ruto." Link answered rather meekly. Ruto offered him a smile.

"Princess Zelda…she's alive, I can sense it so don't be discouraged. I can tell that nothing will stop you on your quest for justice and peace. Please…take this medallion."

Reaching up above her head, blue light erupted from Ruto's hands and from the heavens, the fourth medallion fell right into Link's hands. White light engulfed Link and Kratos as they felt themselves leaving the Chamber of the Sages.

_If you see Shiek, please give him my thanks, okay?_

* * *

Noishe woke up near the tree he was sleeping next to and sees a lone figure glancing down the lake. Seeing that he was not a threat, Noishe walked up to him and started to lick the young man's hand.

Shiek immediately looked down to see the protozoan licking his hand and smiled. "Good morning to you too." Shiek began to pet Noishe when he noticed that water had begun flowing from Zora's River back into Lake Hylia.

"Take a look." Noishe turned towards the flowing water and barked happily. "As the water rises, the evil is vanishing from the lake…Link…Kratos, thank you."

Behind him, Noishe turned to see Kratos and Link descending from the Chamber of the Sages onto the large Triforce platform. As Link felt his feet hit the ground, he immediately ran over the Shiek while Kratos slowly followed Link.

"Shiek! Ruto…she wanted to—"

"She wanted to thank me right?" Link was speechless, just offering Shiek a nod. He closed his eyes. "I see. We have to return peace to Hyrule for her sake too, don't we?"

"Yeah…we do." Shiek turned to gaze at the lake.

"Look at that Link. Together, Kratos, you, and Princess Ruto defeated the evil monster in the Water Temple and now the Lake will regain its former beauty." Link and Kratos turned towards the lake and Shiek was right. The Zora River had once again begun to flow offering its bountiful water to Lake Hylia, refilling it with pure blue water.

It was then that Shiek glanced over to Link and stared intently at him for a while. Kratos noticed it and because of this, Shiek closed his eyes and started to walk away backwards, disappearing from their sight. Link glanced back and sighed.

"That's really getting old don't you think."

"Humph…it would seem." Silence filled the air until Link remembered something.

"Kratos…your evil side said you wanted the Triforce. What would you use the Triforce for?"

Kratos was silent as Link stared at him. Taking a deep breath, Kratos begun to walk back towards Hyrule field and Link felt his spirits deflate.

"It's time you learned." Link turned to Kratos who had his head turned to Link. "First let's go back to Lon Lon Ranch to rest. Today has been a tiring day." It was then, that Navi flew out of Link's hat.

"Gee, ya think!"

**Me: Come on everyone! Sing Happy Birthday to this fic. It's turned 1 today.**

**Martel: Review?**


	34. Kratos' Reasons Part One

**Me: I'm on a roll aren't I?**

**Martel: You took 3 months to update this. **

**Me: After so much work from college, the holidays, FF7(which is not overrated, it was an awesome game), and overhauling Aurion's Clone...so shut up Martel.**

**Martel: ...**

**Me: Yeah, I said it!**

**Martel: The only reason I'm not mad at you is because this story has over 10,000 hits. **

**Me: Yes it does. Thanks everyone. I don't own ToS or LoZ**

Chapter 34

Kratos' Reasons part one

Malon just stared outside of the window of her bedroom. Dark clouds were forming all over Hyrule field and she could see that rain was on the way soon. In a way, it would be a blessing seeing that when Ingo was running things at the ranch, all the plants and crops yielded very little fruits or vegetables because of the mysterious drought ever since Ganondorf took Hyrule Castle for his own. They would get water every once in a while but…not as much as they used to get when Hyrule was being ruled by the royal family.

Malon closed her eyes and pictured herself running around the ranch as the rain poured all around her. It was a thought that really never crossed her mind ever since she was a little girl here. Her daydream continued as she pictured Link running around with her in the rain, just the two of them.

Her thoughts began to grow a bit misty as she pictured the young man's green clothes sticking onto his body like a second skin, showing off all of the muscles that were a result of his training with Kratos and of his mission to save Hyrule.

She had the urge to just feel his chest with her hands and just lay her head against him with his arms just around her.

Malon's body began to feel warm. The thought of just her and Link alone in the pouring rain. She imagined looking into his powerful yet caring cobalt eyes as he looked down into her shining blue ones.

He started to close the distance between them ever so slowly. Malon prepared to receive him and closed her eyes, feeling his warm breath on her face.

"Malon! Honey, would you come down here?" Her fantasy disappeared before her eyes leaving Malon very frustrated with her father.

"Coming Dad." Malon got off of her bed that was next to the window of her room and slowly walked down the stairs.

'Why'd he have to call me now? I'm glad he's finally back running the ranch but still.' Malon wondered as she walked down the stairs only to be greeted by the very man she was fantasying about.

Link, Kratos, and Noishe were standing at the entrance of her home as Talon turned to his daughter.

"Malon, are these the two men that helped take back the ranch?" Malon's eyes widened and she just nodded slightly.

"…Y-Yes Daddy. Link rode Epona in a race against Mr. Ingo and Kratos here was the one that knocked Mr. Ingo unconscious when he went back on his deal against Link." Talon smiled at his daughter and then turned back to the two of them.

"Well then, I am forever in your debt. Please allow me to provide you two with free lodging and a warm meal tonight. Something tells me we're about to get the first big downpour for this ranch in a LONG time." Kratos nodded his head.

"Thank you." Link laughed.

"Thanks…once again, it's good to see you Mr. Talon." Talon chuckled.

"Just Talon my boy. Hard to believe that you've grown up into such a fine young man, isn't he Malon." Malon felt her stomach drop a bit.

"Um…yes, yes he has." Talon chuckled some more as he invited the two of them and Noishe into his home.

* * *

Link, Kratos, Malon, and Talon sat down and Talon treated both Link and Kratos to a very delicious roasted cuckoo dinner with corn on the cob and mash potatoes. During dinner, Link and Kratos told Talon about their adventure as of late save for specific Water Temple details for the moment. Needless to say, Talon was even more impressed with Link than he had been before.

"Well Link, you are no short of incredible. I'm sure you and Kratos will give Ganondorf his due very soon. You only have two more temples to visit before you confront him." It was then that the color left Link's face. He was progressing through his journey at a fast pace having four Sage medallions already. Talon was right, he would face Ganondorf soon.

Link nervously smiled at Talon. "Y-Yeah…only two left." Then another thought crept into Link's head. "Say Talon, do you know where the last two temples are. I don't know where else to look." Kratos turned to Link and then glanced back to Talon.

"Yes, going over our journey so far, I too, have no idea where to look next. Would you have any idea where the last two temples would be?" Talon looked like he was put on the spot and he scratched the whiskers on his face.

"Hmm…sorry boys. I have no idea where to look." Link seemed to deflate and Kratos sighed.

"However, I do know the names of the last two temples that you guys have yet to look for. The Shadow Temple and the Spirit Temple. Does that give you a clue where to look?"

Link still had a blank on his face while Kratos looked like he was thinking.

"Eh…sorry, I still don't have a clue. What about you Kratos?" Kratos glanced to Link.

"I may have a lead but I think its best that we go to Kakiriko tomorrow and ask for more information." Link nodded his head.

"Yeah, I agree." Shock filled Malon.

"You're leaving…so soon." Kratos raised his eyebrows at the way she stared at Link who just rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Well…" He turned to Kratos. "We don't have to go right away don't we Kratos? I mean, we haven't really had a break for awhile since the last time we were here." Kratos closed his eyes.

"Hmm…I suppose we could take a break for another day…if it's alright with Talon." Talon out right laughed.

"Course it's alright!" He glanced over to Link. "I could use a bit of help around the ranch since Ingo left." Link looked surprised.

"Huh, what happened to him? Wasn't he unconscious the last time we were here?" Talon sighed.

"Yes he was. The man recently woke up a few days ago with no memory of who or what he was. I took pity on the guy and a couple of friends from the village are watching over him." Link was stunned. Even though Ingo stole everything from Talon, he still tried to help the guy. Link smiled.

"You're a good man Talon. Only a handful of people would have done what you did. And besides…" Link put his arms behind his head. "Helping out around the ranch will get me out of training." Kratos chuckled.

"Nice try, but you'll still be training AND working your way while we're staying here." Link slumped.

"Oh man…" Talon and Malon just laughed as the both of them started to clean up dinner.

* * *

"Your form's still sloppy. Again." Link tiredly glared at Kratos.

"Kratos, it's almost mid-night. And I'm cold and wet."

Kratos trained Link in the 50 degrees F (10 C) rain. Though Kratos was as soaked and cold to the bone as Link, he took advantage of his Cruxis Crystal as they trained.

"We're taking advantage of the elements to better prepare yourself for the challenges that lie ahead. Now again." Kratos raised Flameberg and his Arredoval shield. Link tiredly raised his shield and the Master Sword up.

Malon and Navi watched from a distance next to a wet Noishe. She was wearing a wool sweater and holding up a yellow umbrella, watching Link and Kratos train. Her thoughts drifted to her daydream again, watching her dream as a reality now.

Link charged Kratos with a vertical slice which Kratos easily deflected. Then Link tried to mix it up a little by thrusting his shield forward.

Not expecting that move, Link was able to bring down Kratos' defense and he kicked Kratos in the chest, knocking him down into the wet, cold grass.

Kratos stared up at Link who held the Master Sword pointed at Kratos' throat. Kratos was surprised to say the least, but he couldn't help smiling at the results of Link's training.

"Not bad." Link smirked and helped Kratos to his feet.

"That's it for tonight Link. We'll continue tomorrow." Link smirked but then it disappeared off of his face.

"Kratos…back at Lake Hylia; you told me that you would tell me your reasons for wanting the Triforce." Kratos took a deep breath.

"Yes…I did." Link bit his lip.

"Well…I would like to know." Kratos glanced over to Malon and Noishe and then back to Link.

"Let's go inside first. You must be freezing." Link narrowed his eyes.

"Gee, I wonder why!"

* * *

Laying their clothes out to dry, Link and Kratos wore their spare under clothes as they, Navi, and Malon sat at the kitchen table. Malon had given the two of them towels to dry themselves off and Malon couldn't believe she wasn't dreaming as she served everyone some hot chocolate.

Link was wearing only a light shirt and pants causing Malon to stare at him so much that she nearly spilled Link's hot chocolate over his hands. The situation brought a blush to the red-head and she took her seat at the table with Navi sitting on her shoulder.

Gripping his untouched hot chocolate, Kratos eyes scanned everyone in the room. With the exception of Malon at times, everyone was waiting for him to start.

"I've only really told two people about this before…" Navi flew towards him.

"You can do it Kratos." Kratos sighed.

"It all started when I heard Mithos' plans for a united world. It was only then, after 4000 years of believing that Mithos was fighting for the greater good…that I made my decision to leave Cruxis."

_The door to Kratos' apartment slide open revealing a slightly distraught Kratos. Wearing his Judgment outfit, he walked quickly to his desk and just shoved everything off of it in a fit of rage. _

_Noishe's ears perked up at the noise and he got up off the floor and walked over to his friend._

"_**What's wrong with you? Did Yuan piss you off again?" **__Noishe chuckled a bit but stopped when Kratos glared at him. That glare soon disappeared off of Kratos' face and was replaced by anguish._

"_Noishe…am I a fool?" Noishe had a surprised look on his face and went to stretch his legs._

"_**What do you mean Kratos? What's gotten into you all of the sudden?"**__ Kratos said nothing, simply turning away from Noishe._

"_It's Mithos…You probably already know this but…he's REALLY gone off the deep end this time." Noishe sighed._

"_**That boy has been getting worse over the course of time Kratos. I know I complain to you about it all the time but you've never been this upset about him before. What's he up to Kratos?"**__ Noishe jumped onto the bed Kratos hardly ever used and laid himself down on it._

_Kratos took a deep breath and turned towards his friend. "Mithos just told me his plan once Martel is revived…if she's ever revived that is…" Noishe's ears perked up._

"…_**go on."**__ Kratos took another breath._

"_He wants to…use all of Welgaia's supply of Cruxis Crystals and turn everyone on both worlds into emotionless angels." Noishe's eyes widened._

"_**What? That's insane!" **_

"_Noishe…this is Mithos that we're talking about." Noishe chuckled._

"_**Right, I forgot…wait…are you finally admitting that he's a lost cause."**__ Kratos flinched and turned away again._

"_I don't want to…but…yes. Mithos' plan is something that I cannot condone." Noishe stood up on Kratos' bed._

"_**So what are you planning on doing."**__ Kratos was silent. He took a look around his apartment which, aside from his workspace…was literally untouched. The place would be periodically cleaned but it was like a ghost lived here. The kitchen was only used to feed Noishe and besides that, there were no decent memories that kept Kratos tied to this place._

_Kratos glanced back towards Noishe._

"_We're leaving Noishe." Noishe's head perked up._

"_**You serious! You're just going to up and leave!" **__Kratos nodded and then looked down at his clothes._

"_After I change…yes. Meet me at the main teleporter." Noishe wagged his tail and smiled._

"_**I have NO idea what you're planning. I like that." **__Noishe jumped off Kratos' bed and ran out of his apartment leaving Kratos grinning like an idiot. _

_Kratos looked down at his clothes one last time before he heard a beeping. Kratos reached for the holo-com at his waist and just stared at it as it kept on beeping at him. Once it stopped, he just narrowed his eyes at it and using his angelic strength, crushed the device in his hand and left the remaining pieces of it broken on his bed before changing into his old traveling clothes and leaving with just Noishe and his Flameberg._

"That…was the first day I rebelled against Cruxis…almost twenty years ago…or twenty seven if you count the time being asleep in the Sacred Realm." Kratos finished leaving Link, Navi, and Malon on the edge of their seats.

"That's quite a tale Kratos…but it doesn't answer the question why you wanted the Triforce!" Navi complained. Kratos turned to her.

"I was merely setting up for more to follow. It's late, why don't we call it a night." Malon yawned.

"Yeah…it is. Besides…" Malon's eyes narrowed and she turned towards Link. "You got a lot of work to do tomorrow Fairy Boy." Link felt his body slump forward, almost hitting his hot chocolate.

"I'll never catch a vacation on our little break will I?" Malon smiled.

"Nope!" Now get your butt to bed mister. Link smirked.

"Yes mom." Slowly, Link pulled his tired body up and made his way to the guest room where he would be sleeping.

Once he left the kitchen, Malon started to clean their mugs they used for hot chocolate when Kratos glanced over to the girl.

"Malon…there's something I need to talk to you about." Malon stopped washing the mugs and turned around.

"What is it Kratos?" Kratos turned towards the guest room and saw Link fast asleep on the small cot that was laid out for him. Seeing that Link was asleep, Kratos turned back to Malon.

"You like Link don't you?" Out of shock, Malon dropped the rag she was using to clean the mugs and went to pick it up. She felt Kratos' eyes on her and she sighed.

"…H-How did you figure it out?" Kratos raised his eyebrows at her.

"Ever since we kicked Ingo out of the ranch, you haven't been able to keep your eyes off of him." Malon blushed and turned away to put the rag back into the sink.

She took a deep breath and turned back to the angel. "Was it that obvious?" Kratos smirked.

"Yes…it was. Here, leave that for the moment and sit down." Malon did as she was told and sat back down at the table. Kratos then took a seat across from her.

"How long have you've like him?" Malon sighed.

"I…I don't know. When I was a little girl, I dreamt that one day, a knight in shining armor would sweep me off my feet." Malon glanced to the room where she saw Link sleeping. Malon's mouth went dry and she felt her heart drop. "He…he loves Zelda…doesn't he?" Kratos closed his eyes.

"It's not my place to say but…yes. I'm so sorry for you Malon." Malon felt her breathing shortening and eyes started to feel slightly hot.

"It's just…so hard." Malon looked up to the angel. "Have you ever felt like this before Kratos?"

Kratos was silent as Noishe lifted his head at the sound of that question.

"You have no idea." Malon then suddenly got out of her chair and ran towards the angel, hugging him.

Kratos just let her, as she cried into his chest. All he did was put his arms around the girl, comforting her as best as he could.

**Me: For the record, my favorite LoZ shipping is Malink**

**Martel: Please review.**


	35. Kratos' Reasons Part Two

**Me: I've been updating like crazy lately.**

**Martel: What about Outer Heaven?**

**Me: I've ran into a slight problem there. Just lost my source material for a certain character...**

**Martel: Real responsible. Big Boss doesn't own ToS or LoZ.**

Chapter 35

Kratos' Reasons Part Two

The sun shined down on the still wet grass of Lon Lon Ranch. Many of the ranch's horses had been let out to run around in the closed off pen for the moment.

Link was sitting on top of Epona and Malon was sitting on top of another horse as Kratos stood to the side, holding a white colored flag in his hand.

"You may be riding Epona Fairy Boy, but Mary-Ann here has never let me down either." Malon went to pet the black mane of the brown colored horse. Link just smirked back at her, with a determined look on his face.

"We'll see Malon, we'll see." Both teens stared into each other's eyes competitively.

"Get ready." Link and Malon turned away from each other and faced forward. Kratos raised up the white flag.

"Get set." Both of them waited impatiently for the start of the race. Kratos smirked and waved the flag down.

"Go!" Link and Malon took off from the starting point. Link had suggested that the two of them should have a friendly race. Malon agreed to Link's challenge and slowly it turned from a friendly race to 'the horse race to end all horse races'…in Link's words anyway.

But Malon had a plan up her sleeve. To make the race more interesting, she had placed several fences throughout the track so that each horse had to jump every fence and go around the track twice before finishing.

Needless to say, Malon's extra challenge shook Link up a bit. As the two of them crossed the first fence, Mary-Ann gracefully jumped over it, moving ahead of Epona while Epona brought up the rear.

Malon laughed to herself. She knew that Epona was the fastest horse she had ever taken care of. However, she was only an average jumper while Mary-Ann specialized in jumping while having average speed.

Kratos, Noishe, and Navi watched from afar as the two of them neared the half-way point of the first lap.

"Ten rupees on Malon." Both Kratos and Noishe turned to her.

"What would you do with currency that you could barely lift Navi?" Navi narrowed her eyes and bopped Kratos on the head.

Link gritted his teeth as Malon crossed the starting line, finishing her first lap.

"Come on Epona! Faster!" The horse complied, and Epona steadily gained speed as she raced closer and closer to Mary-Ann and Malon. Malon turned her head behind to see Link catching up.

"Don't think you've won yet, Fairy Boy." Malon smirked as she saw Epona slowing down again when they got to the fences. She turned her attention forward as she and Mary-Ann hopped over the fences.

As she was going over the second to last fence, disbelief went through her body as she saw Epona catch up to her and Mary-Ann.

As the two of them raced neck and neck, Kratos slowly raised the white flag again and prepared to call the race.

Noishe and Navi kept their eyes on the two of them as they crossed the finish line and both of them went to Kratos to tell him just who won exactly.

Link and Malon slowed the horses to a trot and went around the entire track again to calm Epona and Mary-Ann down. As they went around, the egotistic part of Link's brain took over.

"Ha! I beat you Malon!" Link stuck his tongue out at her and Malon rolled her eyes.

"Quit dreaming, Fairy Boy. It was clear that I won our little race." She too, stuck her tongue out at him.

"We'll see Malon, we'll see." Eventually, Epona and Mary-Ann walked around the track and met up with Kratos, Noishe, and Navi.

"Well…after talking with Navi and Noishe, we've come to realize who won the race exactly." Both Link and Malon's eyes widened and Kratos smiled slightly.

"It was a tie." Both teens slumped.

"A tie!" Both said out loud. Kratos nodded.

"However, one of us decided a tie breaker." Link perked up.

"Is it another race?" Kratos shook his head.

"No…just a trivia question. What is…Noishe's favorite food?"

"An egg-white omelet cooked with ham, onions, and yellow cheese with a side of two slices of wheat bread toast and butter and finally crispy but not too crispy bacon strips." Link just stared at Malon.

"What?" Kratos turned to his friend.

"Noishe, is she right?" The protozoan nodded quickly and Malon jumped for joy.

"Ha! In your face, Fairy Boy!" Link glanced to her, to Noishe, to Kratos, and back to Malon.

"Aww, come on guys! That's not even fair!" Kratos smirked.

"Next time, pay more attention when I feed Noishe."

"But Malon took care of Noishe for seven—ah, forget it." Link turned to Malon and held out his hand. "Good race Malon. But one of these days, I'm going to beat you." Malon smiled and shook his hand.

"I look forward to it. Now come on, I'll treat you to some lunch." Link's large ears perked up.

"You're just awesome Malon. I'll be waiting in the kitchen!" Link turned and ran towards the house as Malon put Epona and Mary-Ann into the horse pasture. Kratos turned to her.

"So…you seem more cheerful than last night." As Malon closed the gate, she turned to him.

"Yes I am. It was hard for me to do but…I'm beginning to accept Link just as a friend." Kratos raised his eyebrows.

"You decided this just in one night?" Malon turned towards the horses running around behind the fence.

"It still hurts Kratos…but…I want to be Link's friend. I mean sure, he's just as full of himself as any other guy his age, but just now, he conceded the race to me even though that tie breaker was perhaps a LITTLE biased towards me." Noishe barked at her and Malon rubbed his head.

Kratos just offered her a small smile. "You're strong Malon." Malon turned to Kratos.

"You think so?"

"Yes. You accepted the fact that Link loves another woman and you're happy with just being his friend. That shows that you've got a lot of character Malon." Malon was speechless.

"W-Wow, nobody has ever described me as that before. Thank you Kratos." Kratos smiled.

"You're welcome Malon." Malon's stomach then growled and Navi flew towards her.

"It looks like Link isn't the only hungry one here." Malon shook her head.

"No, he certainly is not. Now let's go back to the house. I wanna hear more of your story Kratos." Navi sat on Malon's head.

"Me too!"

* * *

After making Noishe's favorite meal, Malon laid the plate on the ground for Noishe to eat and he gobbled up his food in just a couple of minutes. With the last person finally served lunch, Malon finally took her seat at the kitchen table. Link glanced over her shoulder to watch Noishe eat his omelet, toast, and bacon.

"Wow…he really does like your cooking Malon." Malon giggled and turned to watch him as well.

"One day while I was cooking the meal for myself, the poor little guy just stared at me with those big eyes of his and rested his head on my leg as I ate. It was just too cute for me to ignore." Navi rolled her eyes and flew over to where Kratos was sitting.

"Enough about Noishe's favorite food and his begging habits, I wanna hear more of your story Kratos." Link nodded.

"Yeah, I do too. So what happened after you left that…angel city?" Kratos turned to everyone and took a deep breath.

"After leaving Cruxis, Noishe and I descended onto the world of Sylvarant. Being the world that was currently being subjugated by the Desians at the time, the two of us wandered the land for close to a year and half trying to figure out a way to halt any projects that were to be used for Mithos' 'Age of Lifeless Beings.' That's when we came across something that was integral for Mithos' plans, the Angelus Project."

_The cold, dark night helped keep an auburn man and a green and white wolf cloaked under the forest surrounding the Asgard Ranch. Using his enhanced sight, Kratos kept close watch over the ranch and the security that protected it._

**_"Are you done yet? You've been watching the same spot for nearly fifteen hours now." _**_Kratos glanced over to Noishe, who was just laying on his back, relaxing._

_"It is pertinent to know where each and every projector is and to know when each shift change is for the guards." A smile came to Kratos' face. "But you never took any of this seriously." Noishe flipped himself over and stretched._

**_"Nope! And I'm taking it even less seriously than I did during the Kharlan War."_**_ Kratos raised his eyebrows._

_"And why is that?" Noishe chuckled._

**_"Back then Kratos, you were still a novice when it came to using magic and angelic skills in battle against other soldiers that possessed Cruxis Crystals. Now you are one of the most powerful soldiers in the world next to Mithos that is and we're about to go against over confident guards that'll think you're just a normal human. This is going to be a cake walk."_**_ Kratos turned away from Noishe and went back to staring at the ranch._

_"I'm glad you feel that way Noishe but there's more to it than that." The protozoan yawned._

**_"What do you mean?"_**_ Kratos sighed and went to sit down next to his friend._

_"We may have up and left Cruxis seventeen months ago but…" Noishe's ears perked up._

**_"Oh…I see. This will be the first REAL move we'll be making against Cruxis."_**_ Kratos nodded._

_"We'll be making an enemy of Mithos…and then there really is no going back." Noishe got serious and stared at Kratos._

**_"You're not getting any second thoughts are you?" _**

_"No…I'm just…I'm just taking in the moment." Kratos turned back to stare at the entrance once again and Noishe went to join him this time._

**_"So what's the plan?" _**

_"Our primary objective is to get to Kvar's main office and find where he's holding this so called…Angelus Project and to free the prisoner. But I also have another objective."_

**_"Hmm?"_**_ Noishe was confused. Kratos put his hand under his chin, thinking._

_"When breaking in, I need to use some extent of my magical abilities to let Mithos know it was me who broke this prisoner out." A smile came to Noishe's face._

**_"You could always JUDGMENT the front door."_**_ Noishe laughed and Kratos rolled his eyes._

_"I want to use enough of my magical abilities but not too much because then Mithos will consider me a real threat and he'll send his angels to scour the land." Noishe nodded._

**_"Gotcha. In that case, just use normal spells. Just don't kill Kvar's guards and use the spells as a means of evasion. They'll get suspicious since a human shouldn't know how to cast magic." _**_Kratos smiled._

_"Okay, then I think it's time to make our first move against Mithos." Noishe rolled his eyes._

**_"Finally! You go, I'll be waiting here."_**_ Smirking at Noishe one last time, Kratos turned and made his way to the ranch. Waiting until the new guards came for the shift change; Kratos picked up a simple stone and held it his hand._

_A smile came across his face as the new Desian guards took their place outside. Using his angelic strength, Kratos threw the stone at the western wall._

Clank!

_The two guards suddenly became alert. _

_"What was that?" The first guard said. The second guard pointed to his right._

_"Came from over there. Go check it out." The sound led the first guard away from the entrance of the ranch, leaving just one soldier guarding the entrance. _

_Kratos picked up another stone and had his eyes set on the eastern wall this time._

Clank!

_The second guard's shoulder's stiffened._

_"There it is again." Seeing that the first guard was still checking out the other wall, he glanced up to the projectors and smirked._

_"This is why we have projectors…" He then walked towards the eastern wall and that's when Kratos took off._

_Timing his running just right, Kratos was able to run clear to and through the ranch entrance just through the projector blind spot._

"Wow…that must have taken a lot of patience to pull off Kratos." Link said amazed. Navi then flew towards Link and bopped into him.

"Don't interrupt Link!" Kratos rolled his eyes.

"After gaining entrance to the ranch, I quickly found the files of every prisoner in the complex in Kvar's office. Finding what I was looking for, I went to hallway level A to find the only prisoner still being kept there, prisoner A012. And then…my life changed forever."

_Kratos ran through the double doors of the hallway marked "A" and glanced at the first cell in the hallway. Inside, Kratos found no one and he glanced up to the top of the cell to find a plaque._

_"Prisoner A000, hmm…" Kratos reached for the paper where he scribbled down the prisoner number. "A012…the prisoner should be at the end of the hallway." _

_Kratos ran towards the end of the hallway. Passing by all of the empty cells, he finally came to the only cell with a prisoner still inside. Looking inside, he spotted a very frail looking young woman with brown colored hair and light tanned skin. She was lying down on the cold stone floor of the cell. Her breathing was shallow and when the girl glanced over to look at him, Kratos could see her eyes clouded and filled with a bit of…surprise._

_"W-Who are you?" Kratos was about to talk when three guards burst into the hallway. Their eyes widened._

_"Intruder alert!" _

_A siren started wailing and Kratos could hear that he woke up the whole ranch in the dead of night. Turning towards the guards, he started to cast a spell._

Air Thrust!

_The spell ripped through the clothes and the skin of the guards and the three of them quickly fell to the floor. Kratos then turned his attention to the woman in the cell who was suddenly afraid of the man. _

_"S-Stay away from me!" She started to back herself against the wall and Kratos unsheathed Flameberg and broke the lock of the cell. Forcing the cell door open with his arms, he then offered his hand to the lady._

_"Come with me if you want to live." The woman stared at the Kratos for a moment before one of the Desians from before ran towards him and tried to stab him with a broadsword. Kratos easily parried the strike and sliced the soldier across the chest with Flameberg just as the woman watched. Kratos then turned towards her again._

_"Come on! We don't have much time until more come." With his hand still held out and uncertainty still in the woman's heart, she still just stared at him for another moment before eventually taking his hand. _

_Kratos helped her out of her cell slowly. "Can you walk?" _

_"I…I think so…" The woman tried to walk forward on her own only to lose her balance fall because of her lack of strength. _

_Kratos held onto her to keep her from hitting the ground and sheathed his sword. "I'm going to be carrying you out of this place okay. It'll be the quickest way to get out."_

_"…Okay." As Kratos picked the young lady up, he could feel that she was very light and very underfeed. He would have to be careful with her as they escaped._

_"Here we go…" Taking a deep breath, Kratos began to swiftly run down the hallway and through the double doors._

_And towards five more soldiers…_

_"There he is!" _

_"He's got A012!" _

_"Kill the inferior being!" _

_Each one of them ran towards him and the girl and Kratos went to cast another spell._

Grave!

_Sharp stones came up from the floor, trapping the soldiers and letting Kratos and the girl escape from them unharmed. Remembering the way he came, Kratos took a left, another left, and a right which led him to the prison courtyard and to nearly every soldier under Kvar's command. And speak of the devil…_

_Kvar spoke through the megaphones set up all over the ranch so Kratos could hear his voice._

_"I don't know who you are inferior being but you'll make a good host body once we catch you…if you're still alive that is…" All soldiers roared in laughter and unknown to Kvar or the soldiers, Kratos begun casting another spell._

_"Burn…Eruption!" In the middle of the group of soldiers, a large volcano appeared under them and started to spew as Kratos and girl ran towards the exit of the ranch._

_"Stop them!" Kratos heard Kvar yell over the megaphones and all the Desians carrying crossbows aimed and fired as Kratos ran towards the exit._

_"Ugh!" Kratos felt one bolt stick into his left shoulder but he didn't stop. Casting another Air Thrust into the two last guards in his way, Kratos and the woman finally escaped from the ranch._

_Kratos turned around to cast one more spell._

Grave!

_Sharp stones pierced the main entrance and exit of the ranch, buying the two of them some time. _

_Noishe's ears perked up and he saw Kratos running down with the woman in his arms who was hanging onto him with all her might and at a loss for words._

**_"You're back! Is she the one?"_**_ Kratos nodded as he put her down. She turned to him, afraid of the large dog._

_"W-What is that thing?" Kratos shook his head and he grunted in pain with the crossbow bolt still in his shoulder._

_"Th-That's Noishe. Don't worry, he's here to help." Kratos helped the girl onto the back of the protozoan._

_"What are you doing?" But Kratos didn't answer._

_"I'll meet you at the Tower of Mana. Get going!" Noishe nodded and Kratos turned to the girl. "Hang onto him tight."_

_"Wha—ooooooh!" The girl grasp Noishe's fur as he took off and ran west, leaving Kratos standing there with bolt still in his shoulder._

Kratos took a sip of the water Malon had given him and Navi flew down towards the table, staring at Kratos.

"That was some escape Kratos." Malon took a sip of her milk.

"I was on the edge of my seat." Link tilted his head.

"Do you still have a scar where that bolt hit you?" Kratos nodded and removed part of his clothing and everyone saw his left shoulder and the small pale spot of skin.

"I'm almost done and then we'll have more training to do Link." Link whined.

"Aww, but this story is so much fun to listen to." Kratos rolled his eyes.

"Anyway…I met up with Noishe the next morning at the base of the Tower of Mana. The woman I rescued had fallen asleep next to Noishe's sleeping form."

_Walking out of the forest and into the clearing, Kratos saw the Tower of Mana and all of its glory. The back of his clothes was all bloody from his wound but Kratos had removed the bolt earlier and healed his shoulder. Walking towards the tower, Kratos could see the woman he rescued with her arms around Noishe who was lying down on the wet grass. _

_As Kratos approached the two of them, Noishe woke up the girl by slowly licking her face. Her eyes scrunched in displeasure and when she opened them, it was then she realized that she was finally out of that place. All she could do was look around at her surroundings. The grass, the trees, the sun, the sky, and the tower behind her. _

_Kratos glanced at her and brought out pieces of bread from his pack. The girl's eyes widened and she ran over to him and happily ate what Kratos offered her._

_"Easy. Eat slowly or else you won't be able to keep it down." She glanced at him and did as she was told, so very used to it for so long. Kratos then pulled out a small canteen of water._

_"Drink this." She glanced at it and nearly snatched it out of his hands. "Slowly!" Again, she did what she was told and drank. _

_Once she had her fill, she turned to him and cleared her throat._

_"I…I don't know what to say other than…thank you." Kratos took away what remainder of food and water that she didn't touch._

_"You're lucky to be alive. If I may ask…what is your name?" The girl's eyes widened._

_"Anna…Anna Campbell." _

"And that…is where I'll end the story for now." A collection of 'Awws' sounded off as Link got up.

"I don't get it still. What's so special about Anna Campbell?" Malon smirked.

"I think I know." Link glanced to her.

"How would you know?" Malon smirked as Kratos turned away from her.

"Us girls know everything Link." Link just rolled his eyes at that statement.

**Me: I find it ironic that I am a man and I wrote that last line of my own free will. Also, Noishe's favorite food is in fact an egg-white omelet cooked with ham, onions, and yellow cheese with a side of two slices of wheat bread toast and butter and finally crispy but not too crispy bacon strips. Now that I've said it, it must be canon!**

**Martel: *rolls eyes* Please review**


	36. Back to the Past

**Me: You know Martel, one of the games I got for Christmas was Kingdom Hearts. The first one.**

**Martel: Yeah, and how was it?**

**Me: Well, I can honestly say...that game SUCKED.**

**Martel: O.O You realize that fanboys and fangirls of that game are going to flame you for this.**

**Me: Let them. The gameplay was bland and merely hack and slash, the characters...Oh God the characters annoyed the shit out of me. Who wants to go on an adventure with Donald Duck and Goofy. I tried to keep playing for the story but I couldn't. If I really want to, I'll just watch an LP of it later. I don't own LoZ or ToS. I just have a burning hatred for people who think Kingdom Hearts is the greatest game of all time. **

**Martel: ...Wow, you're really angry aren't you? Here's the chapter.**

Chapter 36

Back to the Past

After their small little break from saving Hyrule and from Kratos' story, the two swordsmen were on their way back to Kakiriko Village. With only two Sages left to awaken, Link, Kratos, Navi, and Noishe were flat out lost on where they had to go next.

"Okay, let's see here." Link wondered out loud. "We know for a fact that there are six Sages to find and awaken right?" Both Kratos and Navi glanced at him.

"Right. The first Sage was Rauru, the Light Sage who was already awakened when we were in the Sacred Realm." Navi drooped a little in the air, thinking. "It makes me wonder if there is a Light Temple somewhere in Hyrule." Kratos shrugged her off.

"It's not really important if Rauru is already awakened, is it Navi." The fairy drooped onto Kratos' head as they walked.

"I…guess you're right." Link extended his pinky finger and counted Rauru off.

"Okay, he's one. Then, the next Sage we awoke turned out to be Saria…so that's two." Link extended his ring finger, counting her off. "Then when we defeated Volvagia down in the Fire Temple, Darunia turned out to be the third Sage and when…eh…your shadow defeated Morpha, Ruto turned out to be the fourth." Link extended two more fingers. Suddenly he stopped walking and Kratos, Navi, and Noishe turned to him.

"Am I the only one seeing a pattern here?" Navi flew off of Kratos' head and flew next to Link.

"What do you mean?"

"I think Link is referring to how he met the same exact people when we obtained the three spiritual stones. It IS a coincidence that those same people had something to do with the medallions as well." Link reached into his pack and pulled out the Forest, Fire, and Water Medallions.

"Yeah…for every medallion and Sage we've awakened…we have at least met them or they helped us on our quest for the spiritual stones seven years ago. But since there were only three spiritual stones compared to the six Sages we have to release…I have no idea where to look for the last two." Link said feeling downcast. Navi bit her lip and flew onto his head.

"Don't worry Link. We just need more information." Kratos nodded.

"Navi's right Link. And it is for that purpose that we're traveling to Kakiriko Village. We'll plan our next course of action after we talk to the villagers." Link turned to Kratos and gave him a sad smile.

"…Okay." As they got closer and closer to the village, Link couldn't stop but feel a sense of dread in his stomach.

* * *

Walking into Kakiriko Village, the ominous feeling in the pit of Link's stomach was growing tremendously. As Noishe and Kratos kept walking into the village, Link stopped in his tracks.

"Kratos…something doesn't feel right here." Kratos turned around to face Link.

"What do you mean?" Link glanced around the village and saw adults working or talking and children playing. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"…I don't know. Can't you feel it?" Kratos then remembered the roaring from the well when he was here with his Shadow. Just as he remembered this fact, he heard a low growl with his angelic hearing.

Suddenly the earth started to tremble all around them causing all the people in the village to panic. Houses crumbled and trees were being uprooted as Kratos turned to everyone.

"The well…we need to get to the village well." No one understood what Kratos was talking about but neither of them asked questions. They just followed as Kratos ran throughout the village.

As they got closer and closer to the Kakiriko Well, the shaking began to decrease in magnitude. Though the danger seemed to be gone for now, something in Link's gut was telling him it wasn't over yet.

As they approached the well, Kratos and Link were greeted by the familiar face of Sheik staring down into the well. He appeared very apprehensive with both of his hands gripping the edges of the well and the by the ridge way he was staring.

Even though he had not yet seen them yet, Sheik knew that Link and Kratos were right behind him.

"Stay back Link." Link was confused.

"Sheik…what's going on?" Suddenly Kratos felt a dark presence beneath him that could only be comparable to the King of Evil himself.

The ground started to shake even more violently than before. Ignoring Sheik and Kratos, Link could only glance around the village as houses started to fall in on themselves. But this only served to distract Link from the terrible creature rising from the village well…

Kratos could only watch in horror as an invisible monster grabbed Sheik and flung him back and forth in the air like a rag doll. Kratos hesitated…wanting to strike at the invisible creature but stopping himself. He feared that his attack would only provoke the beast and that the creature might kill Sheik…or rather Zelda. But if he didn't act, the beast would eventually kill Zelda anyway.

Using his hearing and waiting until Zelda was out of the way, Kratos took Flameberg and stabbed what he thought was the center of the creature.

Link had been watching as well and right after Kratos made his move, the invisible creature dropped Sheik on the ground and took off. The dust brought up from the ground by its movement showed off the silhouette of not its feet, but what looked like its hands. Kratos rushed to Sheik and started to perform a few First Aids on him as Link just stared as the creature started to make a U-turn back towards them.

"Uh…Kratos, we have a problem." Kratos glanced up to see the creature coming back at them and Link unsheathing the Master Sword.

"Link, stop!" But Link didn't listen as he prepared to launch a spin attack at the creature.

But when the invisible monster made contact with Link, everything went black.

* * *

Link's vision blurred for a bit. Reality came back to him as his vision focused. Link could see two figures looking down at him.

"He's coming around."

"Good…he took quite a beating back there." Link went to rub his eyes with his hands and he saw Kratos and Sheik looking down at him.

"Ugh…what happened?" He went to get up but Sheik put his hand on his chest, stopping him.

"Stay still Hero. You're still out of it." Link was perplexed.

"What do you mean…?" Memories of what happened came back to him causing Link to shoot up from his bed only to be stopped again by Sheik. "That monster…what happened to the village?" Link glanced around him and found himself lying down on a bed in the village inn.

"The buildings all around the village suffered severe structural damage but no one was killed during this…calamity. I think Sheik can better elaborate on what has happened with that Well." Taking a deep breath Sheik closed his eyes.

"A long time ago, a house stood where the Kakiriko Well is now. A demented man lived there who was rumored to be a serial murderer and out of fear, the rest of the villagers did nothing to stop him. It wasn't until the Imprisoning War, the war that united Hyrule that the King had his soldiers storm that man's house and killed him, ending his reign of terror on this village. But the house itself still left a mark of evil in the village so the King's men had the house burned to the ground and a Well was built in its place." Link shook his head.

"That's great and all but what does this have to do with freaking invisible monster that tried to kill us!" Sheik sighed.

"I was getting to that Hero. With the house gone, the village eventually forgot about the evil man. However, the Well was only a ruse to ease the minds of the villagers of Kakiriko." Kratos narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Looking out the window, Sheik cautiously eyed the Well.

"The Well was built on top of a secret trap door in the foul man's house. It is said that because of all the people the serial murderer tortured and killed in his basement, all of the evil energy lured untold numbers of undead creatures and evil spirits. To prevent any more harm from coming to the villagers; the King of Hyrule had the Sheikah Impa seal the Well with her magic. But since Ganondorf came to power, Impa's seal had begun to weaken and now an evil Shadow Spirit has been released." Sheik motioned his hand and began to pet Noishe's head.

"Sheik…is there anything we can do?" Sheik was silent for a moment as he stopped petting Noishe.

"Follow me. I have but one idea that will prevent the beast's release from ever happening." Helping Link to his feet finally, Sheik led the group out of the house and eventually out of the village towards Hyrule Castle.

* * *

Link and Kratos gazed at the inside of the Temple of Time as Sheik led them back to the pedestal of the Master Sword. When he reached the pedestal, Sheik turned back towards them.

"In order to prevent the release of the Shadow Spirit from the Well Link, you must give up the power of the Master Sword." Link stared at Sheik confused.

"I…I don't understand." Sheik's eyes glanced towards the stone pedestal.

"By inserting the Master Sword back to its rightful place, you shall give up its power and you, Kratos, and Navi will travel back in time seven years." Shock overtook Link's face.

"What! Sheik…messing with time like that…it's too dangerous." Kratos nodded his head.

"I must agree with Link, Sheik. Manipulating past events can prove to be one's undoing." Sheik closed his eyes.

"Yes, I know how dangerous this is. That is why when you go back in time, you must not talk or do anything unless it's absolutely necessary. Just go to the well and expel the evil that lies within. When you're done, return to this time period by pulling the Master Sword back out." Link turned to Kratos.

"What do you think Kratos?" Kratos stared at Sheik for moment before turning to Link.

"Mere humans should not have the power to turn back time…but it seems that the only way to move forward…is to go back." Sheik nodded.

"The exact time that you will appear will be the morning when the Great Deku Tree sends Navi to you Link. The Sages have agreed to use their power to open the Door of Time only twice in the past so that you can leave and return here. I wish you two the best of luck." Noishe turned to Kratos.

"**I'll stay here with Sheik, Kratos. It would be too messy if I come along."** Kratos nodded.

"Alright, Sheik…watch over my friend while I'm gone." Sheik softly petted Noishe and scratched behind his ears.

"No need to worry Kratos." Kratos turned to Link.

"Are you ready?" Navi flew into Link's hat.

"_I'm coming too!" _Yelled Navi, her voice muffled by Link's hat. This caused Link to smile.

"Yeah, let's do this Kratos." Unsheathing the Master Sword, Kratos stood by Link's side as he thrusted the blade back into the pedestal. Blue light surrounded the two of them as Link saw Sheik and Noishe disappear from sight. The light only grew brighter and more intense, causing the shrinking teen to close his eyes until he felt that the light had disappeared.

"You can open your eyes now Link." Link heard Kratos say. Link slowly opened his eyes to see a much taller Kratos and Navi looking down at him. Looking down at himself, Link saw that his entire body was now ten again. Looking all around his ten year old body again, Link sighed.

"I missed almost being as tall as you." Kratos rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry; we're only going to be here for a little while." Navi dingled at sat on top of Link's hat.

"Ah…I missed your smaller head." Link just groaned.

The three of them heard the voices of Rauru, Saria, Darunia, and Ruto.

_"Hero and Angel from another world."_

_"We're using all of our power to open the Door of Time." _

_"Don't delay brothers. We can only open it twice."_

_"Good luck with your mission Link."_

The Door of Time slowly opened up and Link and Kratos walked through. Once they were on the other side, the two of them turned around to see the door close and Link saw the Master Sword disappear from sight. Kratos turned around.

"Let's go Link." Link nodded and followed him but not before stealing one last glimpse of the Door of Time.

Walking outside, Link just took in the sight. Hyrule Castle Town was still standing and not populated by Redeads. Hyrule Castle was still there in all of its glory causing Link to smile…but it soon disappeared from his face.

"Kratos?" Kratos turned around to face Link.

"Yes what is it?" Link fidgeted and felt so small talking to Kratos…literally.

"Sheik said that we were transported back in time to the day Navi came to me right?" Kratos nodded and Link continued. "Well, if that's true…techniquely…we can go see Zelda right now." Kratos sighed.

"Link…I know you want to but…we can't. Zelda hasn't met us yet and even if we did go to see her, it could greatly mess with the timeline. If we're not careful…we can destroy this entire plane of existence." The color vanished from Link's face.

"…Damn! R-Right Kratos…forget I said anything." Kratos narrowed his eyes.

"Language Link." Link rolled his eyes.

"You can't tell me what to do! I'm...ten years old." Kratos smirked and Navi laughed as they made their way to Kakiriko Village.

* * *

The village looked very much the same to Kratos and Link, with many of the buildings still being under construction and the very carpenters responsible for building them, still running around the village not working. Link began to wonder what exactly happened to them in the future but put that thought aside for the moment.

"Sheik said that we had to enter the Well and somehow stop the monster in the past." Kratos looked around at the hustle and bustle of the villagers. "However, it would be wise to do so when everyone is asleep. We don't need to bring attention to ourselves." Link nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea…wait." Link stopped talking and brought out the Ocarina of Time. His eyes shifted between the purple clay instrument and the Windmill in the village.

"Kratos…I think we already messed with the timeline." Navi flew out of Link's hat.

"What do you mean Link? All we did was walk into the village." But Link shook his head and pointed towards the Windmill.

"Kratos, remember when I raced Dampe underground and came out of the windmill a few weeks…ah…seven years from now…Goddesses, this is so confusing!" Kratos nodded.

"Don't worry, I know what you're trying to say so please go on." Link combed his hand through his hair.

"Well, I learned the Song of Storms from the weird music box man in the Windmill. He told me that he learned the song from some green ocarina boy seven years ago." Kratos said nothing as he stared at Link holding the Ocarina of Time.

"Navi…go with Link to the Windmill and play that song in front of the man with the music box. I'm going to stand under someone's porch to avoid getting wet this time." The fairy nodded.

"Alright, let's go Link." Kratos watched as Link and Navi ran to the Windmill. As Link entered the Windmill, Kratos walked to the nearest house in the village and took cover under its porch. Closing his eyes, Kratos could make out the melody from the Song of Storms being played.

Just when the song finished, dark clouds seemed to pop out of nowhere causing a torrential downpour in the middle of the village. Everyone who was outside raced to the nearest spot to take cover but Kratos could tell that all of their clothes were soaked by now.

Soon the wind started to pick up, turning the Windmill blades to extreme speeds and using his angelic hearing, Kratos could hear the music box man's voice and it was high and shrill.

"_Arrrggggghhh! Too fast!" _This brought a smile to his face and Kratos glanced down to see Link and Navi bolting out of the Windmill, through the rain, and over to Kratos' location. Both of them were drenched.

"Well…I saved the space-time-continum thing so now future me can learn the Song of Storms. But if you think about it, it's really past me who's going to learn the song since that happened in the past already but not really because we're still in the past right now and—" Link didn't get to finish as Navi bopped into his head to shut him up.

* * *

Deciding to forego the Sun Song, Kratos and Link waited until nightfall so that Link could nap during the day. Going from seventeen years old to ten years old again, Kratos did not want to push Link past the limits of his age. After drying his clothes and eating a healthy meal at the village inn, Link and Kratos waited patiently for night to fall and for the entire village to turn in for the evening.

As the full moon shined in the night sky, Kratos, Link, and Navi made their way towards the village well. Upon seeing it empty, Kratos turned to Link.

"Oh…yeah you didn't see it did you? When I played the Song of Storms inside the Windmill, the wind summoned by the song caused the windmill to work faster and it ended up draining all the water in the well. It's funny…even though I played the song so that I would be able to learn it in the future, it was almost like I had to play it just to enter the well." Kratos glanced up at the night sky and the hundreds of stars hanging up in the heavens.

"Yes…it is weird. Come Link, let us make our way down. I'll go first." Link nodded but his eyes widened.

"Wait! Kratos…since there's no ladder and we don't want me falling…why don't you just carry me down with your wings. Everyone's inside anyway so no one will see." Kratos narrowed his eyes.

"Link…that risks revealing ourselves here." Navi rolled her eyes.

"What's the worst that can happen? Someone sees you and we can just say it was a Great Fairy Spirit or something. After all Kratos, with your bright blue wings, you can pass for a fairy if someone saw you from far away." Navi and Link laughed as Kratos looked away.

"…Fine." In a bright white light, Kratos had released his wings, scooped up the still laughing Link and swiftly floated down the well until he felt the bottom with his feet.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, Link forced his way out of Kratos arms. "Hey! You didn't need to be so quick about it." Kratos ignored him as he stared at the wall at the bottom of the well.

"Link…we have a problem. Look behind you."

"Huh?" Link turned around and the color drained from his face. A wall stood between them and whatever lurked at the bottom of the well. The only way to progress forward was small crawl space only large enough for Link to go through.

Navi flew down to meet the two of them and she saw the predicament that Link was in as well. Kratos took a deep breath and turned to Link.

"It seems that I cannot accompany you this time Link. You must go with Navi and try to slay the monster of this well on your own." Panicking, Link turned to Kratos and shook his head.

"Kratos…I-I can't! You heard the stories of what Sheik said. Besides that invisible monster, who knows what's down here!" Kratos sighed.

"Yes…I know Link. But we don't have a choice at the moment. You must go alone. This will also be a test of how much you've learned being my student on this journey so far." Kratos walked over to Link and put his hand on his shoulder. "I believe in you Link. You can do this. Let's not forget that you were able to hold your ground and defeat your own Shadow remember?" Link slowly nodded.

"Yes…I did beat him." Kratos smiled and Navi flew over to Link.

"Don't worry Link, I'll still be able to come with you. Now let's go do this." Link smiled.

"Yes." Link turned around and stared at the wall of the well. "Okay...here we go." Link went to crawl on his knees, entering the crawl space and into a world that could only be compared to Hell itself.

**Martel: This doesn't look good.**

**Me: Link's not going to die...he's just going to be either near death or scared beyond human comprehension.**

**Martel: What? No! I me you're going to get SO flamed for your comments on Kingdom Hearts!**

**Me: Bring it on. It's my damn opinion. I traded in that game so I could get FF3 for the DS. Almost no story but...WAY more fun to play. :P **

**Martel: *sighs* Review...or Flame.**


	37. Bottom of the Well

**Me: Well you guys got lucky. I put Final Fantasy VI down to write this chapter because it was just calling to me. Btw, I got FF6 for my birthday. Pretty good game so far.**

**Martel: I think you're going crazy. **

**Me: ...Probably. I don't own ToS or LoZ. **

Chapter 37

Bottom of the Well

His heart thumping, Link gulped as he crawled through the wet and putrid tunnel leading to who knows where.

"Guh! Oh Goddess, Navi, this is so gross!" Navi laughed from the inside of his hat.

"Look at it this way, Link. You're not scared at the moment, are you?" The ten year old rolled his eyes as Navi laughed. Suddenly Link stopped dead in his tracks.

"Navi…I reached the end of this tunnel. Can you come out and give me some light. I can't see a damn thing down here." The blue fairy flew out of his hat and Link's heart dropped as he saw a skeleton lying on the ground right in front of him. Navi was just as surprised as Link.

"Whoa! That scared the fairy dust out of me!" Link glanced towards his fairy with an eyebrow raised.

"Fairy dust?"

"Never mind." Navi flew forward as Link attempted to wipe off all the gunk that was on his clothes from crawling. "Link, we have a problem."

Turning up towards Navi, Link sighed at the sight of an empty room. "There's no tunnel for me to crawl through…" A smirk slowly appeared on the ten year old's face. "…Well, you know what that means, right Navi." The blue glow from Navi started to fade a bit.

"Link! Don't do that in here!" Ignoring his fairy, Link reached into his pack and lit a bomb.

"Buh bye, Wall!" Link's smirk grew when he threw the bomb but it suddenly disappeared from his face when the bomb he lit and threw went right _through_ the wall.

"What the fu—am I seeing things?"

"No…I saw it too." Ever so slowly, Navi flew towards the wall and tried to lean her small hand on the discolored brick only to see it go straight through.

The fairy instantly pulled her hand back. With curiosity getting the better of her, Navi took a deep breath and flew straight at the wall, going right through it.

"NAVI!" Link cried as his fairy disappeared as darkness took over the room he was in once more.

"_I'm alright, Link. The wall was an illusion. I bet there are a whole bunch of them down in this well. Just walk through the wall like it wasn't there. You'll be fine."_

Link stared at the wall before walking towards it. Facing right at the wall, Link closed his eyes and ran right through to see Navi on the other side. The blue fairy flew around him, her face beaming.

"You did it, Link!" Link returned her gratitude but looked down at his feet. His boots were soaked through as he stood shin deep in water. Taking in the rest of his sights, Link was astonished to see that he was standing in what looked like a flooded hallway with torches illuminating everything.

"Hey, Navi?"

"Hmm?" Link kept glancing around everywhere as he spoke to his fairy.

"If some of the walls in this place are fake, then what can be hiding behind them?"

Navi was silent as Link started walking forward down the torch lit hallway.

* * *

A shooting star past over the calm, night sky as Kratos Aurion leaned against the Kakiriko village well. The seraph didn't look like it but, on the inside, he was really worrying about Link's wellbeing after hearing such a gruesome tale. Granted, he himself did not find Sheik's story that scary but he knew Link did. And the fact that Link had just reverted back into his ten year old self after being an adult for so long, only made Kratos even more stressed.

"I hope Navi can protect him." Glancing up at the night sky, Kratos couldn't help but think of his sons.

"Lloyd…Orion…I hope you two work to rebuild our world." Kratos suddenly remember Yuan's messages left on his holo-com. Curiosity getting the better of him, he took it out of his pocket and just stared at the device before activating the last message Yuan sent him.

_Date: April 12__th__ 0003 A.R.W._

_This is Yuan Ka-fai…Kratos…oh, what's the point. I don't know how but someone…or something has obviously taken care of you. I guess I'm talking to a ghost now. _

_It's a weird feeling…being alive for so long. My mind is just having a hard time comprehending the fact that you're really gone. _Kratos heard the half-elf sigh over the recorded message.

_All of our efforts…Martel's pleas for peace, ending the Ancient War, putting an end to Mithos' reign, and the sacrifices Lloyd made for our world…was for nothing. The Vanguard was able to unleash catastrophe on our world only mere years after we achieved absolute peace. Taking care of the Summon Spirit, Ratatosk, they were able to open the Ginnungagap and unleash the demons of Niflheim onto the world. _

_They killed Martel and the other Summon Spirits after that. They spread like a plague of never ending death, killing anything that can use magic. I do not have long before they discover me. When they do, I will fight them. For you, for Martel, for Orion, and even for that brat of a son of yours. _

_Kratos…I ask only that you never, ever forget me._

The transmission ended and Kratos felt tears running down his face.

"In the end, the future refused to change…" Kratos dropped his holo-com and unsheathed his sword. Turning around, Kratos narrowed his eyes at the unknown figure hidden in the shadow before he let down his guard.

A tall, red-headed woman stepped out of the shadow, her arms crossed and a smile on her face. Kratos only stared at her as the sun began to rise from behind her.

* * *

"Link! Look down at your feet." Link glanced down at his boots and smiled.

"I didn't even see that! Thanks, Navi." Getting out the Ocarina of Time, Link closed his eyes and began to play Zelda's Lullaby. The sound of running water stopped and Link opened his eyes to see that all of the water had disappeared in the hallway.

"Whoa…I wonder where all the water went?" Navi flew around the long hallway.

"It's strange, there were at least hundreds of gallons of water flowing through these hallways and it was all drained in a matter of seconds." Link shrugged his shoulders.

"Guess the 'creepy' well scared all the water aw—aahhh!" Link didn't get to finish as he fell straight through the floor.

_Crack! Bam! Pop!_

Pain overwhelmed Link as he hit wet, eroded rocks as he fell. He barely registered his body hitting the ground down the steep drop. Link opened his eyes to see that his vision was very fuzzy. All he could see were three brown figures steadily coming closer to him.

"Link!" Navi came flying down as fast as she could and gasped in horror.

"Oh my Goddess…" Navi could only stare at Link. His arms were all cut up and his right leg was dislocated and gushing blood.

"Link!" Navi flew next to his face. "Can you hear me?" His strength slowly leaving his body, Link turned towards his fairy companion.

"Navi…please…help me…"

_Oooooaaaaahh!_

Navi gasped and turned towards the Redeads slowly coming towards the injured Link. She turned back towards the young hero.

"Link! Do you have any red or blue potions?" Link groaned in response.

"…No…I forgot to refill…in the village." Link's head hit the ground, utterly exhausted.

Navi, panicking, kept glancing towards Link and the incoming Redeads and tears started to stream down her face.

"Goddesses, why? Show him mercy!"

* * *

The rising sun gave the red-headed woman an ethereal-like glow and Kratos watched as she walked towards him.

"Din…why are you here?"

"Knowing that your entire world was doomed, I thought you could use someone to talk to." Din lifted herself up onto the rim of the well, sitting next to Kratos. "Kratos…you're not going to give up on your world just because it's doomed, are you?"

Kratos said nothing as he watched the early birds in Kakiriko village coming out of their houses and getting ready to start their day. "I've accepted their fate, Din. Like Anna before me, Yuan, Martel, Orion, and…Lloyd…they are all gone."

"Uh huh, yeah." Din was silent for a moment before she took a good long look at the village. "Kratos…take a look around this village." Kratos turned to her, confused and Din just rolled her eyes. "Just do it."

Kratos sighed and took a long look at the village in silence as Din did also.

"What do you see?"

"Just…the Cuckoo Lady feeding her cuckoos, a mother drying her laundry on a clothing line, carpenters avoiding to build the houses under construction…" Din nodded.

"Good, but look harder. As you look, try to remember what Lloyd taught you." Kratos glanced back towards the village and narrowed his eyes.

"Everyone looks…at peace." Din nodded.

"You're on the right track. Keep going." Kratos rubbed his chin.

"Because Ganondorf hasn't taken over Hyrule yet, everyone is a lot livelier and happy." Din got off of the well and turned towards him.

"Bingo. Though these people are a friendly bunch, you know for a fact that some of them have changed in just seven years. Peace can go a LONG way Kratos." Din sighed. "But not even a Goddess can make peace happen or make it last." For the first time ever since he was brought here, Din had a serious look in her eyes.

"This is why you told me to remember Lloyd's reason to fight." Din nodded.

"For most of your life, you were a fatalist; believing that eventually, everything will work out." Din reached out to Kratos, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Kratos, strength of will without strength to act is useless. If you want to change something in the world, you must do it yourself."

Kratos felt his heart stop. How could he ever forget the reason why Lloyd fought against Mithos? He ALWAYS believed there was a better way for everyone in the world to live in harmony and prosper.

Din smiled at Kratos. "And remember Kratos. The future you heard from your friend is not set. I know you and you would have fought tirelessly to prevent such a disaster from taking place. It only happened because you and Link were sealed in the Sacred Realm for seven years."

Kratos looked up at her. "So...there is a way to prevent the destruction of my world?" Din smiled.

"Only if you're willing to fight for it." Suddenly Din's eyes glowed green and blue. "We don't have much time, Link is in danger." Kratos climbed off the rim of the well.

"What? What can we do to help him?"

"Hold out your hands. These are gifts from my sisters. Be sure Link gets them." Obeying Din, two crystals materialized in his hands, one green and one blue. Kratos smiled as the green crystal began to glow and Din smiled back before disappearing from sight.

* * *

With the Redeads closing in on Link's battered body, all Navi could do was stand next to Link and hold his childish face with her small arms. Her face red from crying, Navi just stayed by Link's side.

"I'm sorry, Link…I failed…" Suddenly Navi opened her eyes and let go of Link. "No! I'm not giving up. If you're destined to die here, I'm fighting for you until the end!" A loud shriek erupted from the fairy as she sped forward towards the closest Redead, her body slamming into its rotting nose, knocking the thing back a little bit.

However, the Redead soon recovered and it smacked Navi with its festering hand sending her speeding towards the ground next to Link.

_Ooooooooaah!_

Navi glanced up as the first Redead hovered right over Link's body, the saliva from its jaws dribbling onto Link's clothes.

"No…Goddesses…please, save him."

Suddenly a bright colorful light filled the cavern Link and Navi were in and all Navi could hear were the screams of pain coming from the Redeads. As the blue and green light dimmed, all Navi could see was Kratos Aurion standing next to Link.

Kratos narrowed his eyes at the Redeads, frozen from being exposed to the light from his entrance. He narrowed his eyes at the reanimated corpses.

_Hell Pyre! Sonic Thrust! _

Kratos watched two of the three Redeads collapse and he ran towards the last one standing.

_Demon Spear!_

The last Redead fell and Kratos quickly sheathed his sword. Turning towards the mangled Link, he took his casting stance.

_Healing Stream!_

A green ethereal circle enveloped Link and Navi and it began to heal all of their wounds.

"Ah! It hurts." Kratos watched with pain as Link's right leg snapped itself back into place and as all of the deep cuts on Link's body closed up.

"Kratos?" Kratos blinked and he looked down to see Navi struggling to fly up to him. Reaching down, the angel gently picked up the small creature and Kratos felt her tears on his hand.

"I'm so sorry, Kratos. I tried to protect Link, I really did. I couldn't do anything but buy some time until you came along." Navi sniffed loudly and Kratos gently smiled at her.

"You did all you could even when the odds were against you, Navi. As you can see, Link here is hurt but the boy is still alive. Though my efforts saved him, you swallowed your fear and stood tall against an opponent much larger than you."

"Ugh…" Kratos and Navi turned towards Link as the boy started to stand on his feet. "K-Kratos, how did you find us?" Reaching into one of his pockets, Kratos pulled out the blue and green crystals.

"Let's just say you had someone else besides Navi and me watching over you, Link. That green crystal teleported me here and it led me straight to you. However, I have no idea what this blue one does." Link's eyes widened at the sight of the crystals.

"Those crystals? Did you get them from a Great Fairy?" Kratos hesitantly nodded. Link reached into his pack and pulled out a Red Crystal.

"It looks just like Din's Fire that I got from a Great Fairy one night when we camped in Hyrule field." Kratos nodded.

"I was instructed to give these two crystals to you, Link. Use them well." Taking the crystals from Kratos' hands, Link put them away and stood up.

"Let's keep going."

"Link, wait!" Link turned around towards Navi who was resting on Kratos' head.

"Link, you almost died! Shouldn't you give yourself a break!" The ten year old child took a deep breath and his determination did not faulter.

"No, we have a job to do…and I intend to finish it." Link turned away from the fairy as her wings drooped and as Kratos eyed Link with pity.

'Link…your childhood has truly disappeared.' As Link continued to walk forward, Kratos began to follow him as the two of them went to explore more of the underground cavern.

* * *

Navi sat on Kratos' head and stared at Link as they explored more and more of the underground cavern.

The fairy sighed softly and looked down at Kratos.

"Kratos, I'm sure you've noticed how much Link has…grown since the beginning of the journey." Kratos lightly nodded his head.

"Yes…I have. Unfortunately Navi, this was to be expected. For every step taken, sword slash, and arrow shot, bits and pieces of Link's innocence have slipped away from him."

"…I know that it was Link's duty to the world, but…it still doesn't seem fair to him."

"…" Kratos silently agreed with her. Thinking back, Mithos and Lloyd went through losing bits of their innocence as well. However they were more fortune to have more people to talk to and depend on, even if Martel was tragically lost. They were also older than Link when they started their journeys.

Link however started this at ten, still very much a child and he only had Navi and Kratos to talk to.

"Kratos, Navi, I've found something!" Kratos glanced over in front of him and Navi hovered above his head, not entirely healed yet but feeling a little better. He saw Link smirking at a dead end ending with a brick wall. Confusion came over Kratos.

"Link, are you sure you didn't hit your head on the way down?" Link shook his head and laughed.

"You still don't know. Check this out, Kratos!" Kratos raised his eyebrows as Link stuck his arm through the seemingly solid wall. Link turned his head towards his teacher, smirking.

"It's a false wall. The well was full of them." As Link walked through the wall, Kratos only stared amazed.

"This world still holds plenty of mysteries to me." As Kratos stepped through the wall, his heart stopped and he drew his sword.

Six giant white hands stood planted in the ground with one hand restraining Link. Suddenly, a gray cloud of dust spontaneously erupted and out of it came an indescribable abomination. It closely resembled a Redead but it was as pale as a ghost and much larger looking with its body much fuller and less like a bony corpse.

Kratos rushed towards the hand that gripping tightly onto Link.

"Stop!" Kratos froze as he turned towards Link.

"Link, are you insane! I'm trying to help you." Link hissed in pain as the large bony hand constricted against him.

_Slash!_

The hand crumbled and Kratos caught the boy as he fell towards the ground. As soon as Link's feet touched the ground, he pushed himself away from Kratos.

"Why did you do that! I had it all under control!" Kratos' eyes flared up.

"Under control? You were at the complete mercy of that creature!" Link turned away quickly, grumbling in anger. Turning back towards the large white creature, Link unsheathed his Kokiri blade and shield and ran straight towards creature, completely ignoring Kratos.

"Link!" Kratos watched as Link dipped and dodged the other five white hands grabbing at him.

When Link finally came up to the white creature, he side-stepped around it and swung his sword.

_Slash!_

The creature howled in pain, bending forward, unable to move.

But Link did not stop there.

Rolling so he was behind the beast, Link unleashed a flurry of sword slashes, swipes, and stabs before the creature finally fell to the ground, dead. The other five large bone hands collapsed into piles of dust as the creature disappeared before Link.

Kratos and Navi only watched as Link was trying to catch his breath, his face still showing signs of rage from yelling at Kratos. Glancing towards the two of them, Link's brow furrowed.

"What! Surprised that I can defend myself without your help?" Kratos and Navi glanced at each other before turning towards the treasure chest appearing in the middle of the room.

His anger being replaced with curiosity for the time being, Link walked towards the treasure chest and slowly opened it as Kratos walked over.

"It's a…" Link began.

"…Mirror?" Kratos finished. Kratos glanced towards Link who then turned away from the angel, still mad at him. Navi flew over to Link to look at the purple mirror they found.

"It's not a mirror; it's the Lens of Truth! Link; see the fake wall that we came through? Look at it _through _the Lens of Truth." Shrugging his shoulders, Link closed his left eye and looked through the lens.

"Wow, Kratos it—" Link stopped talking and put the mirror away. Kratos just shook his head at the boy as Navi flew towards Kratos' ear.

"It lets you see through fake walls and floors and it also lets you see real walls and floors that are invisible." Kratos nodded his head.

"Ah, ingenious." Link narrowed his eyes as he saw Navi whispering into Kratos' ear.

"Are you two coming? I'm going to use…Farore's Wind to leave this well so come on." Exchanging looks, Kratos and Navi slowly walked up to Link as he activated the holy wind that teleported them out of the well.

As soon as they left however, an eerie growling followed by deep laughter filled the deepest room in the underground well.

* * *

After leaving Kakiriko Village, Kratos, Link, and Navi returned to the Temple of Time where the Door of Time reacted to their presence by slowly opening up for the them.

"Move quickly, Link!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

As the Door closed, the two of them walked up to the Master Sword and Link pulled the blade out of its pedestal, thereby unleashing an array of blue lights all around them. Kratos watched once again as Link grew taller and wider transforming back into his seventeen year old self.

When the lights disappeared, Kratos saw Noishe sitting on the ground, waiting for him. His tail started to wag and he ran right up to Kratos.

"**Hey! You're back! How was…" **Noishe glanced over to Link as he just walked past the Protozoan. Noishe then turned back to Kratos.

"**What's with him?"** Kratos shook his head.

"It's a long story. Where's Sheik?"

"**He went back to Kakiriko Village to see if anything changed after you to left. Although, even if you two DID change something in the past, how would Sheik know it if you erased what happened before you went to the past to change the event."** Noishe whined and laid his head on the ground with his paws holding his head. **"Time travel is confusing."**

Kratos just rolled his eyes at his friend as the four of them began to walk back to Kakiriko Village to see Sheik.

* * *

As Kratos, Link, Navi, and Noishe arrived back in Kakiriko Village, shock filled their eyes. The entire village looked exactly as they left it with all the same buildings damaged and the dirt trail all along the village was still there, made when the monster escaped the well and when it attacked Sheik and Link.

Link just looked all around frantically. "Everything's still the same…did we change anything?"

"No…you saved the world by helping to destroy this village." Sheik came out of the shadows and Kratos and Link turned to him, confused.

"Sheik, what do you mean? I killed that monster in the well." Sheik raised an eyebrow at Link.

"Hero, when you fought that monster, did it attack you…at all?" Link blinked in confusion.

"Yes…well, no…no I took care of it rather quickly." Sheik nodded a bit.

"How fast did the monster move when you fought it? Was it invisible in the past as well?" Link rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly.

"Actually, it moved rather slow. Really slow. That's what made it so easy to beat. And no, it wasn't invisible…" Sheik closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"The monster you fought, was it white and gunky looking, with large white hands coming out of the ground?" Kratos sighed as Link really started to sweat.

"…Yes." Sheik sighed.

"Hero...you didn't fight the monster that came out of the well. You fought a monster called "Dead Hand." It was a creature the Sheikah had placed there to keep the most diabolical souls in check. When you killed it, Link…you left the well with no guardian. The creature that escaped from the well must have been building up his strength after all these years with nothing to stop him."

Link's body suddenly felt heavy and the young man dropped to his knees, stunned. "Are you saying…I'm…responsible, for destroying this village?" Sheik just sadly stared at Link before nodding. It was then that Link's eyes swelled up and he just cried right then and there, right in the middle of the village with Navi, Noishe, Kratos, and…Zelda watching.

**Martel: Damn...so wait, what happened?**

**Me: Link prevented himself from causing a time paradox by killing the creature in the past so that the real monster escaped from the well in the future. It was like when he taught himself the Song of Storms...only with much more consequences...**

**Martel: Please review.**


	38. Descent into Hell

**Me: Say it.**

**Martel: No.**

**Me: Say it.**

**Martel: I'm not going to say it.**

**Me: *puppy dog eyes***

**Martel: ...Fine. Happy Birthday Big Boss.**

**Me: Thank you. I turned 21 a week ago. Between mid-terms, my birthday, and Final Fantasy VI...is why this chapter was delayed. Btw, Final Fantasy VI is the best Final Fantasy of them all. Suck it, Final Fantasy VII fans. **

**Martel: You just love picking fights don't you. Grab a snack because this is a long freaken chapter. Big Boss doesn't own ToS or LoZ.**

Chapter 38

Descent into Hell

Tears fell to the ground as Link trembled and cried in front of everyone. His chest started aching as Link felt so guilty for all the destruction he had indirectly caused the village of Kakiriko.

Navi's wings drooped a little and she flew down to Link. "Please don't cry, Link. It's not your fault. You didn't know what you were doing."

Link said nothing as he kept his eyes off of his friends and on the ground, too ashamed to look at them.

Navi had never seen Link look so broken down before and the fairy turned towards Kratos who was looking at Link with a sense of indifference. The fairy narrowed her eyes at him and she flew up to his ear.

"Aren't you going to say something," she whispered. Kratos glanced over towards her and nodded but before he could say anything, Link beat him to it.

"Kratos, I should have listened to you. If only I did…this village would still be…" Kratos shook his head.

"No, Link. I—" Kratos was cut off as Link wailed loudly in anguish before running off to an isolated spot in the village. Kratos sighed as he leaned against the wall of a building.

"Link…I don't blame you for what happened. Though I noticed the differences between the Dead Hand and…whatever that other monster was, I would have done the exact same thing." Navi's colored dimmed a bit as she went to sit on Kratos' shoulder. For the first time, since Link broke down, Sheik spoke up.

"…If I may be so bold, what happened between you two down in the well?" Kratos and Navi glanced up at the Sheikah and the two of them told Sheik the whole story of what went on while they were down in the Well. Sheik silently took in all the information and only spoke up when Kratos and Navi were done explaining.

"I see. Link has learned and experienced a lot of things on his journey to save Hyrule. It seems to me, that, he's not ten in mind or body anymore." Kratos and Navi nodded.

"Navi and I recently talked about this and it could be the reason why he was acting up down in the well. The boy feels he's all grown up and in some ways, Link is grown up and in other ways, he still is the innocent ten year old kid who grew up in the Kokiri Forest." Kratos turned to his side at the direction Link ran off and as he did, an idea came to his mind. "Sheik, would you mind talking to Link? At the moment, I don't believe he'll listen to me or Navi." Kratos couldn't see it, but he was sure Sheik was smiling through the cowl that covered half of his face.

"I would be happy to, Kratos."

* * *

The Kakiriko Village graveyard was quiet. A cold, howling wind blew through it as Link walked along the cobble stone path way. The young man gazed at all the graves before collapsing in front of the Royal Tombstone grave.

Link grasped at the grass and dirt in front of him as fresh tears erupted from his eyes. "Goddesses why? Why did you let me kill all the innocent people here!" Anger was quickly replacing Link's guilty conscience as he stared at the darkening sky.

Reaching behind him, Link slowly unsheathed the Master Sword and he took off the Hylian Royal Shield off of his back. Link just stared at both the shield and sword in front of him as lightning flashed in the sky. Focusing on his reflection in the blade of the sword, Link clenched his fists tightly as rain began to fall from the sky.

"I'm no hero…" Taking his Hylian Shield, Link flinged it as hard as he could to his side and he ignored the loud clanking and scraping it made when it hit and slid on the cobble stone pathway. Narrowing his eyes in anger at the Master Sword, Link took it and thrusted it hard into the soft soil of the graveyard, breathing loudly in anger.

"Why did you chose me? Of all the people in the world, why was I chosen!" Link screamed to the heavens as lightning flashed and crackled through the blacken sky.

"They can't hear you, Link." Link quickly turned around to see Sheik walking up to him, holding the Hylian Shield he recently threw away. Link just rubbed his head and turned away from the young man.

"For once in my life, I want you to leave me be, Sheik." Ignoring him, Sheik walked next to him and let his eyes travel up and down Link's body.

"You should go inside, Link. You're soaking wet." Link just stared at the ninja, annoyed.

"Sheik, I helped destroy this entire village. Do you think I care if I catch a cold or something?" Sheik just put one of his hands on his chin, thinking.

"No…no, you're right, Link. Take the Master Sword inside before it starts to rust." Link's eye twitched violently.

"You…you uncaring bastard! Do you even care that I helped destroy this village!" Sheik smirked.

"I care about the people of the village. Do you care, Link?" Link's eyes flashed with rage.

"Of course I do, Sheik! Why do you think I feel so horrible? Sheik chuckled.

"Would someone who's not a hero feel sorry for the deaths of all these people, Link?" Link blinked, confused.

"…Um…well—"

"You do feel sorry for them, don't you, Link?" Link narrowed his eyes at Sheik.

"Of course I do Sheik. I'm not some monster like…Ganondorf." Sheik smiled.

"So…do you apologize for what has happened?" Link was silent for a moment and turned away from the ninja.

"I am Sheik…but it's just, I don't think they'll accept my apology." The Master Sword caught Sheik's eye and the ninja went to pull it out of the ground.

"Why don't you think so, Link?" Link sighed.

"I caused them so much pain and suffering. How can I be forgiven?" Struggling at first, Sheik slowly pulled the blade of evil's bane out of the ground.

"I think the question the townspeople should be asking is, how can I ever thank you enough, Link?" Link turned around to see the Sheik's face for the first time as he used his cowl to clean the dirt off of the Master Sword.

"What?" Sheik smirked as Link stood there staring at him.

"You are the Hero of Time, Link. But don't misunderstand. Not even the Hero of Time is perfect. We all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. And we are all mortal. Do you understand…" Sheik smiled. "…Hero?"

Link froze as Sheik smiled. It was a warm, genuine smile. And it seemed…familiar.

"Sheik…thank you." The Sheik gave Link another familiar smile as he took back the Hylian Shield and the Master Sword. More rain continued to pour as Link sneezed.

"Told you." Link just narrowed his eyes before the two of them started to laugh. Suddenly a thought came to Link.

"You know, you just lied." Sheik tilted his head to the side.

"What do you mean?" Link wagged his finger at the ninja.

"You said that we all live on this planet, breathe the same air, and we're all mortal, right. Well, Kratos ISN'T from this planet now, is he?" Sheik facepalmmed before he grabbed Link's arm and dragged him back to the village.

* * *

Rain continued to fall from the dark sky as Link and Sheik stared at the front of the Kakiriko Village Inn. Sheik had urged Link to go inside and although Link heard the words from the mysterious Sheikah, his feet refused to move.

Fear gripped Link's heart as the Sheik stared at the Hero of Time.

"What's wrong, Link? I thought you've forgiven yourself over the devastation of the village." Link sighed deeply as he glanced from the village inn to his feet.

"I have forgiven myself about the village, Sheik. It's just…" Link stopped speaking as his eyes glanced back towards the inn building and Sheik began to understand what plagued the boy's confidence.

"You're worried that Kratos is mad at you, aren't you, Hero?" Link swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly nodded as he turned to face the Sheikah.

"I was a total jerk to him, Sheik. That man has watched over and taken care of me ever since my journey began. Looking back at what happened at the well…I would be mad at me too." Link suddenly felt the rather soft hand of Sheik on his shoulder and the young hero of Hyrule turned to see his warm eyes.

"Link, if you feel that you have made a mistake and you want to atone for it…Kratos will forgive you." Linked blinked a bit as Sheik comforted him.

"Sheik…h-how can you be so sure Kratos will forgive me?" The ninja was silent for a second or two before he responded to Link.

"Because he cares for you, Link. He sees you as more than just a student and the Hero of Time. Kratos sees you as one of his own sons. I can see it in his eyes, Link. Now…let's get inside. I'm freezing my cowl off out here."

A smile slowly appeared on Link's face as the two of them entered into the warm Kakiriko Village Inn where they saw Kratos and Navi sitting patiently in the lobby of the inn.

Link tensed up slightly but he kept on walking towards the auburn headed mercenary as Kratos glanced over to Link and Sheik.

As soon as Link neared Kratos, he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, averting his eyes away from the man.

"Kratos…um, I-I have to apologize. I acted like a real stubborn jerk down at the bottom of the well. I should have listened to you and—"

"Link, if anyone should apologize here, it ought to be me." Link blinked in confusion and both Navi and Noishe turned towards the angel in surprise. "Throughout this journey, you have fought for the freedom of the citizens of Hyrule, putting aside your own needs for them. In doing so, you have lost something you could never reclaim once this is all over: your innocence." Link blinked and stared at Kratos confused.

"I don't understand what you're trying to say?" Kratos closed his eyes.

"The innocence of your childhood; what you're life used to be like before your journey began. Link, please understand. I am apologizing to you because I treated you as the ten year old child you used to be at the start of this journey when you were in the well. But I as well as everyone else can tell that even if you looked like a child back in the well…you are no longer a child anymore. Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Link?"

Link glanced down at his large, calloused hands. Thinking back to the recent events in his life, freeing the Sages and battling his own shadow, for the first time in his life, Link felt he truly was no longer a child anymore.

"I…I never noticed up until now, Kratos." Kratos nodded his head at the young man.

"That is why I should apologize to you, Link. You are fully an adult and an almost recognized swordsman in my eyes." Link looked up to Kratos and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Almost recognized?" At this, Kratos smirked.

"You still have much to learn, Link." Both Link and Kratos chuckled and Navi flew up to Link's face.

"It's great to see that you're alright, Link." Link smiled as Navi found her way on top of Link's head."

"I'll always remember the lives that were lost here but what's done is done, Navi. But now…" Link turned towards Sheik. "Isn't this the part where you teach me a new song, Sheik?"

Sheik was silent as he narrowed his eyes at Link before pulling out his golden harp. "This is the melody that will draw you into the infinite darkness that absorbs even time…. Listen to this, the Nocturne of Shadow." Link brought out the Ocarina of Time as Sheik played a dark, but powerful song inside the small inn lobby.

Sheik put his harp away as he nodded towards Link. "I'll be seeing you again, Link." And surprising everyone in the room, Sheik did not teleport away. The Sheikah just winked his eye at the group and exited the Kakiriko Inn.

Link turned to Kratos and Noishe. "So…what do we do now?" Kratos raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"What do you think we should do, Link?"

Before Link could answer, lightning flashed outside and the boy's stomach rumbled. "Well, we already went through that spooky well, I'm cold, wet, hungry, and tired. Let's just eat a meal here, sleep on it, and go take on the Shadow Temple in the morning.

Kratos smirked at the boy as the two of them went to order food for Noishe, Navi, and themselves before going to sleep early for the night.

* * *

After having a nice, deep sleep, Link awoke to the morning sun shining through the room window in the inn and the soft sounds of Navi's snoring.

Soon enough afterwards, everyone met back up down in the inn lobby eating wheat toast and Lon Lon scrambled eggs which was a very nice meal. Ever since Link and Kratos saved Lon Lon Ranch and given control of it back to Talon and Malon, the quality of food in Kakiriko Village grew exponentially much to Link's enjoyment.

'I really need to thank Malon later. This food is excellent.'

Breakfast between Link, Kratos, Navi, and Noishe ended all too quickly for Link as Kratos took Noishe back to the Cuckoo Lady and talked with him before coming back to Link as Link watched from a distance.

As Kratos came back, Link took out the Ocarina of Time. Link had made sure to stay in a secluded area of the village. "Are you ready, Kratos?" The angel gave Link a short nod and Link put the clay instrument to his lips, playing the Nocturne of Shadow.

Soon, sparking black light spun around the three of them and they vanished from Kakiriko Village entirely. The view of damaged houses, the village windmill, and the wet grass was replaced with the eerie graveyard but at a higher view than normal.

Link's face scrunched in confusion. "Huh, we hardly went anywhere." The Hero of Time glanced down at where they were to see that they were in the Kakiriko Graveyard, just at a higher elevation than before.

"Link, over here." Turning around towards Kratos, Link saw the man step aside to reveal dark staircase leading to who knows where.

At the sight of the staircase, Link groaned. "We were just in that damn well too." Kratos sighed too.

"I know. Let's get this over with as quickly as possible, Link." Link silently agreed and the three of them slowly made their way down into Hyrule's infinite abyss.

* * *

The outside light was soon lost as Link, Kratos, and Navi stepped further and further down into the Shadow Temple. The three of them soon came to a room filled with idle torches and a sealed door.

Link glanced around the room and contemplated his options before turning to Kratos. "It seems to me, that we need to light all these torches." Kratos nodded.

"My spells for this task are…overkill in this regard. Don't you have those Fire Arrows you obtained after we released Ruto in the Water Temple?" Link blinked before he reached to his back and pulled out a red tipped arrow along with his bow.

"Wait…I would be wasting…fifteen arrows if I shot each torch…I have a lazier idea." Putting away his bow and arrow, Link reached into his pack and pulled out a red crystal and smiled at Kratos. "You might want to activate Guardian, Kratos or else this is going to burn."

Leaving Kratos with that warning, Link slammed the crystal into the ground as fire erupted all around him, spreading all throughout the room, lighting each and every torch while Kratos' guardian spell vanished leaving the angel untouched. Navi flew out of Link's hat and bopped him on the head.

"Link! Next time give us extra time to take cover." Link just smirked at his fairy's antics as Kratos brushed off some soot off of his clothing.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling sound caught their attention as the stone door in the room lifted up and opened to even darker view of what was in store for the three of them as they slowly walked through it.

Dim torches burned giving off an eerie light as the three of them walk down through seemingly endless staircases. Link could feel Navi trembling inside his hat as the dark energy of temple and his own determination to free the Sage pulled him further and further down.

When at last the stairways end, Link and Kratos came to a surprisingly illuminated room. The floor, ceiling, and walls all appear to be bright solid stone with numerous carvings and cave paintings decorating each one.

"Hmm, now this is interesting." Link glanced over to Kratos as he walked over to the first stone carving. Seconds turned to minutes as Kratos' eyes skimmed over all of the carvings and paintings on the walls before he turned back to Link and Navi.

"The writing on the walls here speaks of Hyrule's early history, Link." Link blinked.

"Really? What does it say?" Kratos closed his eyes.

"While I cannot make out the writing, the illustrations are very precise of telling me what I need to know. They speak of the time after the creation of the Triforce but before the reunification of Hyrule. Countless wars were fought between all kinds of races for the sacred Triforce in order to possess its power. Eventually though, seven Sages gathered to seal the Triforce away and eventually Hyrule was able to prevail and bring peace." Link nodded slowly as he took in all this information but suddenly he was confused.

"Seven Sages? But, counting Rauru, Sheik told us to release the other five Sages. Who could be the seventh Sage?" Kratos sighed.

"I have no idea, Link. It's best to avoid thinking about it now. We need to focus on this temple right now." Link nodded and went to lean back against one of the walls.

"Yeah, you're right Kra—aaaahhh!" Kratos' eyes widened as Link feel _through _one of the walls.

"Ow, that really hurt." Kratos slowly stuck his head through the invisible wall to see Link rubbing the back of his head. Kratos sighed in relief.

"I thought you fell into an infinite abyss. Be more careful, Link." The boy nodded as he slowly got up and looked behind him to see that he hit his head on a rather large treasure chest. Link raised his eyebrows as he began to open it and the boy managed to pull out a pair of light golden colored boots with miniature wings on both sides of each boot. Link turned to Kratos and smirked.

"Looks like my carelessness paid off again." Kratos rolled his eyes as Link slipped on both boots. As Link went to stand up, he nearly fell over if Kratos didn't grab him. "Whoa!" As Kratos slowly let go of him, he saw Link flail his arms around as he attempted to keep standing up. Kratos glanced down at the boots Link was now wearing and began to think.

"It seems that these boots provide no friction in order for you to walk or run." Link's flailed about as he struggled to keep standing up.

"What kind of useless boots are these?" Kratos didn't answer as he glanced down at the golden boots before an idea came to mind.

Going around Link so that he was directly behind him, Kratos pushed the boy forwards as Link shrieked in terror. Kratos smiled as Link kept on going straight before he hit one of the bright stone walls.

"Hmm, now I see." As Link peeled his body off the wall, he turned around slowly and glared at the angel.

"Do tell! What do you see, Kratos?" A small smirk came to Kratos' face.

"These boots have no friction because they're not even touching the ground. Theoretically, you walk or run over bottomless pits with these boots but only for a short amount of time." At the sound of this, Link's face lit up.

"Oh wow, these boots are so cool!" As Link experimented by skating around the stone hallway, Kratos could only shake his head and roll his eyes at Link's sudden change of heart.

* * *

After practicing with the "Hover Boots" that Link received from the treasure chest, Link decided to switch back to his regular boots and only use the golden boots when he thought he absolutely needed them.

So Kratos and Link explored further into the temple, bypassing the statues that shot a focused lasers at the three of them and into a large room with an odd swooshing noise that Kratos detected.

'That sounds almost like…' Kratos paled as he saw Link walk past him and into the room.

"Get back here!"

"Whoa!" Kratos fiercely yanked the boy out of harm's way and Link turned to the mercenary, very annoyed.

"Kratos, what was that for?"

"Get the Lens of Truth out and see for yourself." Confused, Link did as he was told and reached into his pack, getting out the purple mirror.

As Link looked through the lens, the color quickly drained from his face. "Dear Goddesses, I almost killed myself. I owe you one, Kratos." Link handed the mirror to Kratos and as he looked through it, he saw ten foot tall statues carved in the shape of twin Grim Reapers each swinging long, thick scythes.

"How'd you know they were there, Kratos?" Kratos handed the lens back to Link and explained.

"My angelic hearing heard the loud, swooshing noise of those statues swinging their weapons. Keep close to the edge of the room as you can when you enter." Link slowly nodded.

"Yeah…I will. I think I'll keep looking through this to make sure I'm not cut up into tiny pieces as well."

Kratos nodded and he observed the boy slowly cross to the other side of the room as Link stood as close to the wall as he could.

It was then Kratos saw something that made his heart stop. A large, black hand appeared out of the wall and stalked Link, crawling closer and closer to the boy.

_Stab! Slash!_

Kratos blinked as he saw the stalking Wall Master fall to the ground, dead as Link smirked at him from across the room as he sheathed the Master Sword.

As soon as Link made it to the other side, Kratos followed Link, going along the same path to the exit and down another set of stairs.

* * *

"Link, look out!" Navi yelped as a giant Skulltula descended upon them. Quickly unsheathing his sword and shield, Link defended against its surprise attack and went to counterattack.

_Slash!_

Making a vertical strike against it, the giant spider fell to the ground, dead as Kratos followed behind Link, staying back and letting Link lead. He nodded at the boy.

"Good, Link. Let's keep moving." Nodding, Link sheathed his sword and put his shield back on his back as the two of them came out to the largest room yet.

Link gazed around at what looked like a gigantic hollow cave with bits and pieces of the Shadow Temple built around it. The ceiling was at least fifty feet high with the length and width of the room easily the same, if not bigger.

Continuing to gaze around, Link saw the linear path they had to follow and he frowned. "We have to go through…four guillotines and plenty of platforms with some twenty feet apart from each other."

"Or…perhaps there are invisible platforms here?" Link glanced to Kratos and went through his pack for the lens of truth. Looking through it, a smirk came to the boy's face and Link slipped on his Hover Boots.

"You're right, Kratos. They're invisible alright. Come on!" Kratos however, didn't follow Link as he observed how the boy jumped from platform to platform with the aid of his new boots, hesitating a bit before jumping on the invisible platforms, quickly rolling through the quick and deadly guillotines, and back onto solid land.

Link then eyed the narrow, winding pathway that led to what looked like another invisible platform that was moving. Taking his time, Link jumped to that platform when it came towards him and he jumped off when he reached the door out of the room on the other side. A smirk came to Kratos' face.

As Link jumped off of the invisible platform, the boy panted, his hands on his knees. "See Kratos…that wasn't…so hard." Link continued the pant but his heart fell when he heard no reply. "Kratos?"

"Over here, Link." Glancing up, Link saw Kratos descend towards him before allowing his angelic wings to disappear.

The Hero of Time just narrowed his eyes at the man. "I hate you." Kratos just smirked as the two of them headed through the next door and into another torch lit hallway.

* * *

If Link didn't know any better, the deeper he, Kratos, and Navi went down into the temple, the dimmer the torches burned, the danker the air got, and the faster his heart thumped. All he wanted was to reach the end of the temple but it seemed that temple was never ending.

Kratos was feeling the same way as he walked just behind the Hero of Time. The thought of the complexity of the temple alone was enough to drive even the most patient of souls insane.

_Snap! Grraah!_

Kratos stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to Link who was still walking and he whispered, "Link, stop moving." Link turned to face him, confused.

"Kratos, what do you—"

"Shh!" Link blinked and he went to whisper.

"Kratos, what do you mean? Did you hear something?" Kratos nodded and walked past Link towards what looked like the end of another staircase they were walking down.

"I'll look and see what's ahead." Navi flew over to Kratos.

"I'll come with you." Kratos stared at the fairy for a second before nodding and letting her land on his head.

Link stood behind as Kratos entered into the next room. Just ten seconds past before Kratos walked back out looking very flustered and uncomfortable. Navi flew from his head and went under Link's hat without saying a word to Link of what was in the other room. Link felt disturbed as Navi clutched onto pieces of his hair for dear life.

As Kratos walked up to Link, he too, stood there silently, not acknowledging that he was there for a few seconds before he glanced towards Link.

"Link, this is one of those times where I need you to do exactly what I say. Do you understand?" Link shook his head a bit, confused.

"Kratos, I don't—"

"Do you understand, Link?" Kratos repeated, albeit more sternly this time before Link nodded.

"Y-yes, Kratos, I understand." Kratos sighed a bit.

"Good. Close your eyes and then cover your eyes with your hands." Link glanced up to him, raising his eyebrow a bit.

"But if I close my eyes—" Kratos just glared at him before Link got the message. He closed both of his eyes and covered both of his eyes with his hands.

"Now…I'm going to put both of my hands on your shoulders. I will gently push you in the direction where I want you to walk. Do not open your eyes until I say so." Link nodded slowly.

"Okay, Kratos." Completely blind now, Link felt Kratos push him down each individual step. It wasn't until he got down to the base of the staircase that Link heard the sound of…growling?

Even though he couldn't see, Link felt that he was in the room Kratos and Navi were in before. An awful smell invaded his nose causing Link's shut eyes to water and his stomach to churn in pain.

Link felt Kratos push him a little to the left and he complied.

Along with the sound of growling, Link heard loud individual cracks and snaps coming from his right. It was then that smell became almost too much to bear. The contents in his stomach seemed to boil and all Link wanted to do was vomit. But Link took it all in stride and kept on walking.

Kratos sighed in relief as they reached the other side of the room they were in. Opening the large steel door that marked the exit of small but seemingly long room, Kratos took one look back at a site that would make even Kvar turn away disgusted. Five Redeads were on their rotting, bony knees around one of their fallen brethren…feasting on his undead body. Its arms and legs were either gnawed or broken off with bits and pieces of its torso missing as well.

Kratos turned back towards the exit of the room and he slowly shut the steel door as tightly as he could.

* * *

Leaving behind that hellish room, Kratos and Link came out to see large quick flowing river. The water was discolored from being so deep in the temple and glowed an eerie turquoise as the river flowed to another part of temple.

"Open your eyes, Link." Link uncovered his eyes, blinking a bit as he got used to the slightly brighter room.

"Kratos, what was in that room? It smelled so horrible."

"Trust me Link, you really don't wanna know." Link's eyes glanced up to see Navi peering down at him. Link silently understood that whatever they saw in there would have scarred him for life so he left the matter alone.

Glancing to his side, Link saw Kratos starring at a large, wooden ship. The ship had clearly seen better days as the wood that made up the hull looked as black as night with its sails also very discolored with each of the three sails torn in several places. Link rubbed the back of his head.

"It looks like we need to use this ship to get down the river."

"So it would seem." Link glanced towards Kratos and wondered why he couldn't just use his wings to fly to the end of the river where they needed to get off. 'Probably wants me to accomplish this on my own.'

Spotting a rope ladder on the side, Link walked over towards it and began to climb it while silently hoping the old ladder wouldn't break as he climbed onto the ship.

As he got onto the deck of the ship, Link turned back towards Kratos. "Kratos, um…how do we make the ship move?" Link saw Kratos walk over to the rope that kept the ship docked to the side of the river. Unsheathing Flameberg, Kratos easily cut the rope keeping the ship docked and Link instantly felt the river pull the ship forward.

Unfurling his wings, Kratos took off and landed on top of the deck with Link. Locating the ship's steering mechanism, Kratos took the wheel and guided the ship as it flowed with the river.

_Smash!_

Kratos and Link quickly turned around to see two Staphos destroy the wooden door leading down into the crew barracks, brandishing their swords.

Link and Kratos glanced at each and nodded. Unsheathing the Master Sword and Flameberg, they rushed the two Staphos.

_Cling! Clang!_

Metal met metal as the two swordsmen engaged the undead warriors. The steering wheel to the boat turned on its own, causing the boat to veer right and left.

But Kratos and Link ignored what the ship was doing as they kept on fighting each Staphos. Link dodged a horizontal slice from one and rolled around the Staphos' left side.

"Take this!" With a swift slash, Link severed its left leg and the Staphos' body crumbled, unable to balance itself. With the Master Sword in hand, Link jumped straight at the defenseless opponent and finished him off with a jump strike, hitting the Staphos head on turning it into a pile of dust.

Meanwhile, Kratos hardly broke a sweat as he easily parried each and every offensive strike the Staphos was throwing at them. Link smiled at the sight, knowing that Kratos was alright…until he saw something crawling towards the angel.

Giant black hands grabbed onto Kratos' legs, taking Kratos mind off the Staphos for a split second, allowing him a free shot at Kratos.

_Slice!_

"Ah!" A deep cut appeared on Kratos' torso causing blood to gush out. Kratos jumped back, dodging a vertical strike from the Staphos as his sword narrowly missed Kratos.

With no one paying attention to steering the ship, the dark boat drifted a little too close to left edge of the river, smashing into it very roughly.

_Boom! Crack!_

The resulting shock of the impact knocked Link and Kratos to the ground and the enemy Staphos lost his footing and fell into the turquoise water. Navi flew out of Link's hat towards the area where the ship crashed and panicked.

"Link! Kratos! The ship is sinking!"

Link's eyes widened and he went to jump off the ship but suddenly remembered that Kratos was still on the ground, wounded. The ship started to tremble as water quickly filled it up, the rotting wood just breaking on contact with the cold river water. Link ran to the mercenary and struggled to bring Kratos to his feet.

"Kratos! We have to get off!" Kratos groaned in response.

"…I'll be right with you. First A—" Kratos' eyes widened as dozens of black hands swarmed onto his body.

Link just stood there, not knowing what to do. He feared using any of weapons because he could potentially harm Kratos even more.

_Fire Ball!_

Three black hands faded into shadowy smoke, one fading from Kratos' mouth, letting him speak. "Link, jump off the boat!"

Link shook his head frantically. "But Kratos—"

"DO IT!" Clenching his fists, Link obeyed his teacher and jumped off the boat.

Rolling as he hit the ground, he heard Kratos yell.

_Eruption!_

The dank ship was soon engulfed in fire, brightening up the room and causing the boat to literally collapse on itself in seconds, its remains being swallowed up by the ghostly river…with Kratos going down with the ship.

**Martel: This was...one messed up chapter.**

**Big Boss: Yes it was. Review please. Also, happy birthday, happy ametuer! And...sorry that I said Final Fantasy VII sucks. Please don't hurt me.**


	39. Coming of Age

**Me: Sorry for the lapses in updates. I've been busy with history papers and research for my 15 page paper and my dog, Clyde was sadly put to sleep during all of this. He was only 5.**

**Martel: I'm so sorry, Big Boss. He doesn't own ToS or LoZ.**

Chapter 39

Coming of Age

Water streamed from Link's eyes as he gazed at the spot where the dark ship bursted into flames before being swallowed up by the river…taking Kratos with it.

"No! Kratos, not you." The Hero of Time clenched his fists and pounded them into the ground as tears slowly ran down the boy's face.

Navi drooped and flew up to Link. "He was…a brave person, Link." Link was silent as the fairy dimmed a bit. "Link, Kratos wouldn't have wanted you dwelling on him. He would have wanted you to finish what we came here to do, right Link?"

Link remained silent as he stared at the turquoise river. After about a minute of staring into the fast flowing water, he got up and turned towards his fairy.

"…You're right, Navi. Come on; let's go finish this…for Kratos." The fairy nodded.

"For Kratos."

Link turned has back away from the river as he glanced towards a large door surrounded by a moat of water. Glancing to his right, he spotted another room and he and Navi started walking towards that room.

As the two of them walked away, the turquoise river flowed normally, before the water shone even brighter than normal.

* * *

Going into the next room, Link was surprised to see a large multi-colored chest that usually contained the Big Key to the boss of the Temple. It was just…ten feet in front of the boy in a darkened out room.

Link froze and glanced around the room. It seemed…too easy to him. To just have the chest out in the open like that.

As Link turned to leave the room, the door locked him in and Link heard the jolt of some kind of mechanism spring to life. Link turned to his left and right side to see he activated some kind of death trap as wooden spikes crept closer and closer to him.

Navi tingled and the fairy flew towards the right and scanned the spikes before flying back to Link.

"This trap wasn't thought out well, Link. The spikes are made from 100% wood. You just need fire to destroy them and THIS time, I'm taking cover." Link rolled his eyes as he got out Din's Fire.

Just like before, Link threw the crystal down towards the ground as flames erupted from the crystal, spreading out all around him destroying the wooden trap as it fell apart, piece by piece.

Navi and Link just stared at the lackluster trap as it burned to ash. The door to the room unlocked itself and Navi and Link exchanged glances of pity as Link went towards the large, colorful chest to obtain the Big Key.

Following their escape from the horribly crafted trap, Link and Navi return to the river banks inside the Shadow Temple. Link gazed at the river where Kratos disappeared with a sense of longing before turning his attention to the gigantic door behind him. Floating over the moat using his hover boots, Link easily made it to the other side. Using the Big Key they had found, both Link and Navi watched as the thick lock fell off and saw the door open up. Without any hesitation, Link runs through the open doorway, intent on avenging Kratos.

* * *

"What the? Whoa!"

Surprise and the sense of dread fill Link's body as he falls into a seemingly endless abyss upon entering the door. The Hero of Time falls for ten straight seconds before he hits the floor. Strangely enough, Link feels no pain as he hits the ground and upon impact, the floor to the new, dark room feels…elastic in nature.

Link glances around and sees that he is surrounded by the same turquoise water Kratos disappeared from and that he himself is located on what appears to be…a bouncy island.

_Thump…Thump…Thump_

Link struggles to calm himself as his legs start to shake on their own. The boy slowly glances over his shoulder to see the drum seemingly being hit on its own.

_Thump..Thump..Thump_

The hitting of the drum becomes much more intense, causing Link to easily lose his footing, bouncing him up and down. As his heart beats faster and faster, Link hurries to slip on his hover boots as Navi flies over to the source of the drumming.

_Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump_

With his hover boots on, it becomes easier for Link to stand on the large, beating drum. He narrows his eyes at the source of the beating and Link then reaches for the Lens of Truth as Navi circles the invisible monster.

Taking a deep breath, Link looks through the purple mirror to see a strange sight: a monster with an indescribably body with one large red eye along with two hands that were easily the size of the monster itself.

Seeing the visible form of the monster, Link unsheathed his sword and shield with his right hand holding the lens of truth.

"For Kakiriko and for Kratos, you're going to pay!" Looking through the mirror, Link ran into battle as the invisible monster roared at him. As Navi circled around the monster, she saw from the corner of her eye that the monster's right hand was moving towards Link.

"Link!" She watched as the monster back handed Link, sending him flying and nearly off the drum and into the glowing water below. She flew straight towards him as the monster began to drum once again.

"Link! Are you okay?" The Hero of Time groaned in pain as the beating of the drum slowly brought him to his senses.

"Yeah…I'm fine." Link blinked a bit and saw the monster coming at him with one of its hands.

"Link, this is Bongo Bongo! You need to take out its hands first if you want to attack its body." Link shook his head a bit and sheathed his sword.

"So I've noticed." With the Lens of Truth still in his hand, Link keeps an eye on both hands as he reaches for his bow.

"Watch out!" Link looks up and jumps to the right as the right hand tries to squash him. Link attempts to fire an arrow but soon realizes it is impossible because he has to hold the bow and the mirror at the same time. Navi glances towards him, worried.

"Link, what's wrong?" Link continues to try to fire an arrow from his bow but is again thwarted by the lens of truth.

"I can't hold lens of truth and use my bow at the same time…Navi, hold the mirror." Navi eyes widen.

"What? Link, I can't do that!" Seeing the left hand coming towards them, Link jumps out of the way, barely dodging the hand as it tries to grab him.

Link turned to his fairy. "Just sit on my head and try to hold the mirror so it's face down. That way, I can use my bow and still look through it." Navi paused for a second before agreeing.

As soon as she got a hold of the mirror, she knew she couldn't hold it for long. She was able to hold it at an angle where Link could still see through it leaving his hands free. Pulling back an arrow, Link was able to fire one off, hitting Bongo Bongo's left hand, stunning it. However, the fairy's strength was quickly fading as the Lens of Truth began to shake violently with Navi trying her best to support it.

It soon became increasingly difficult to see Bongo Bongo's other hand because Navi couldn't hold the mirror straight anymore.

"Where is it? Where is it? Where is it!" It became nearly impossible to see anything through the shaking of the mirror and the Hero of Time sighed to himself.

"Ugh!" Suddenly, Link knew where the hand was because the right hand grabbed his entire body and lifted him off the ground. The impact of the hand caused Navi to finally lose her grip on the Lens of Truth and Link turned to see the mirror drop into the turquoise water below.

"No!" Link screamed and tried to struggle out of Bongo Bongo's grip but to no avail. The force of the monster's grip only strengthened and it soon became very hard for Link to breathe.

Soon, Link knew that he was right in front of Bongo Bongo's face as he felt the warm, unbearable smelling breath continuously hitting him. The more Link struggled, the more Link felt as if Bongo Bongo was sapping his very strength.

His face drooped to the side as Link's vision became a blur.

_Graaaaahhh!_

Gravity began to pull at Link and he felt himself hit the drum. After bouncing once or twice, he felt something pulling him back towards the edge of the drum.

Coughing has air began to return to his lungs, Link's eyes tried to focus on the figure standing over him but his heart began to beat soundly because he already knew who it was.

"K-Kratos?" Kratos nodded and he soon went into a casting stance.

_Healing Wind!_

Link felt his strength returning to his body and felt Kratos reach and pull him to his feet. He shook his head a bit and felt his vision focus a bit.

But there was no mistaking it. Kratos stood right in front of Link, absolutely soaked but alive.

"Kratos…how did you—"

_Graaaaahhhh!_

Both swordsmen turned towards the sounds of growling and Kratos gave Link the Lens of Truth back. Link groaned a bit at the sight of a large crack in the mirror.

"No, will it still work?"

"The mirror is irrelevant."

"Huh?" Link and Navi watched as Kratos slowly walked ahead of them and towards the sounds of Bongo Bongo.

Closing his eyes, light began to form around Kratos and upon unleashing his wings, they casted a blue light on everything…including Bongo Bongo's form.

_Raaaaahhh!_

With the sheer amount of light in the room, Bongo Bongo's invisible form was exposed and his red eye was blinded, leaving the roles reversed: now the beast could not see Link or Kratos.

Kratos turned to Link and smirked. "Come; let us finish him off together." Link's eyes widened in joy and both he and Kratos unsheathed their swords and rushed visible monster.

_Slash! Stab! Slice!_

Bongo Bongo tried to block their attacks with his large hands but they too were being attacked by Kratos and Link. Soon his right and left hands fell, leaving Bongo Bongo's red eye exposed. Kratos stepped aside and watched as Link delivered the finishing blow upon the beast.

With a deafening cry, Bongo Bongo slowly began to melt into liquid shadow, and Link and Kratos watched as it slowly fell into the turquoise water, being dissolved by the glowing liquid.

Link breathed a sigh of relief and turned back towards Kratos. "Kratos, h-how did you survive?" Navi flew out from Link's hat and towards the angel too.

"Yeah, we thought you were done for!" Kratos smiled at both of them.

"Remember that all things in the world have yin and yang, Link. We saw for ourselves, the sheer darkness of what the Shadow Temple is, whether it was the creatures within, the Temple architecture, or just the evil vibe throughout the Temple. There was only one pure place here: the river." Link glanced at the spot on Kratos where he was slashed on the ship.

"Your wound?" Kratos shook his head.

"I did not heal it through my own magic. The river glows with absolute purity; I imagine that anything undead that touches it would be instantly purified and killed. However, its magical properties for the living are undeniable. After being swept away by the current of the river where I disappeared, I emerged from the water in here just to see you being grabbed by that creature."

Link could only stare at the man before he ran straight towards him and embraced him in a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Kratos, surprised at first, slowly wrapped his arms around Link just as the two of them appeared in the Chamber of the Sages again. Both Link and Kratos glanced towards a smirking Impa before they separated from each other in embarrassment.

The older woman chuckled a bit. "The seemingly stoic man does have a heart after all." Link smirks at Kratos who just clears his throat in response.

"When I last saw you Link, it was when Zelda and I were escaping from Hyrule Castle and now you've grown into a fine hero."

"Thanks, Impa. …Do you know where Zelda is?" At this, Impa smiled.

"Do not worry, Link. The Princess is safe now. Soon, you'll meet up with her and she will explain everything. It'll be then that we seven wise Sages will launch our attack on Ganondorf and his castle. But until that time, take this." Glancing above his head, Link watched as the Shadow Medallion fell into his hands.

_Please Link; look out for the Princess!_

* * *

Link groans in his sleep before finally opening his eyes. After he and Kratos purged the Shadow Temple of Bongo Bongo, they had returned to Lon Lon Ranch to take a short break again. Arriving there at sunset, Malon was more than happy to let Link, Kratos, Noishe, and Navi spend the night there.

Stretching his arms a bit, Link slowly rises from the cot Malon had provided for him and stops for a second. He hears the sound of Epona's song is being hummed nearby and curiously, Link walks out one of the side doors of the room he was in and is horrified.

Not knowing where he was going, Link ended up walking into the bathroom adjacent to the guest room where he was sleeping to see Malon, her eyes closed, humming in the shower completely naked. Link tries to look away but he cannot; his eyes are just glued to her very wet and naked body. It is then that Malon opens her eyes to the sight of Link just staring at her.

"LINK!"

* * *

As Kratos just sits at the kitchen table, his eyes glance between both Link and Malon who are both silent and averting their eyes from each other. No one said anything to Kratos about the "incident" but after hearing the running of the shower and Malon's scream, Kratos had a pretty good idea what had happened.

And so the silence continues.

Kratos clears his throat. "What's done is done. Both of you are just going to have to put the experience behind you now, okay?"

Malon's face just turns beet red. "Link, why didn't you just turn away?" Link held his head down in shame.

"I don't know. It felt like powerful magic was keeping my eyes on you for some reason. Or I was just curious towards the unknown." Malon turned away from him, completely embarrassed.

Kratos cleared his throat again and the two of them turned towards him. "Would the two of you prefer that I continue the story of my past?" Navi flew out of Link's hat and landed on Kratos' shoulder.

"Anything to get our minds off of the awkward moment between Malon and Link." Kratos nodded then.

"Okay then. After I rescued Anna from the human ranch, we traveled around for a couple months, evading the Desians anyway we could. However…"

_The sun slowly started to rise over the land. Rolling over, Noishe slowly opened his eyes and gave off a long yawn. As the protozoan got up, he shook his entire body and glanced over to see Kratos standing guard of the campsite._

_Stretching a bit, the Protozoan went over to his friend and began to nuzzle at his right leg. Kratos glanced down at his friend and went to pet his head. _

"_**I think you're being a little TOO cautious, Kratos. We're in the middle of an isolated patch of forest east of Palmacosta in a region where the Desians take their orders from a barbarian."**_

"_Noishe, while I respect your opinion, throughout both of our experiences, you can never be too careful. It has been over three months since I infiltrated the Asgard Ranch. Kvar more than likely has expanded his search for Anna past Hakonesia Peak." Kratos glanced over to Anna who was still sleeping in her sleeping bag behind him. _

_Noishe examined Kratos' face to see him looking at Anna in a way he had never seen before. __**"Kratos, there is something I would like to ask you."**_

"_Hmm?" Kratos turns away from Anna's beautiful sleeping form and towards his best friend. Noishe bit his tongue a bit, afraid to even say what he was thinking. Taking a deep breath, the protozoan let his thoughts become known._

"_**You like Anna, don't you."**__ Kratos slowly turned away from his friend._

"_She means nothing to me. I'm traveling with her because we are looking for a dwarf to safely remove her exsphere."Noishe smirked at his friend._

"_**I know you're lying, Kratos. Why deny it?" **__Kratos turned back and Noishe almost took a step back to see Kratos glaring at him._

"_I CAN'T love her, Noishe." Noishe smirked again._

"_**Who said anything about love here, Kratos?"**_

"_Mmm…" Both Kratos and Noishe glanced over towards the young woman as she slowly stirred from her sleep. Anna slowly rose from the ground and stretched her arms out. Over the course of three months away from the ranch, her body had the chance to recover. It was significantly less thinner and from all the traveling the three of them were doing, she was in great shape. _

_Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she opened them to see Noishe come towards her and give her face a good morning lick._

"_Ah! Noishe! That tickles! All right, all right. Good morning already." The protozoan barked at her lovingly as Anna got up from the ground. _

"_Good morning, Kratos. What's for breakfast?" _

"…_I've used up the last of our food last night. Since we're close to Palmacosta, I will go and get some food for us. I shouldn't be long." Kratos turned away from her and began to walk towards the city._

"_No." _

_Kratos sighed and turned back towards her. "Anna, we've been through this. Bringing you to town is too dangerous. You could be recognized." Anna narrowed her eyes at him._

"_Listen here, Mr. Mercenary, what's the point of being free from that ranch if I cannot enjoy my freedom. I'm going and you're not going to stop me." _

_Kratos narrowed his eyes at her, silently cursing her rebellious attitude. Her unwavering need to be free. It had significantly grown over the course of time since he rescued her. And yet…it was one of the main things he liked about her._

"_No, you're staying here. There is absolutely NO way you're coming with me." Kratos and Anna both glared, their eyes inches away from each other. _

* * *

"_Wow, Palmacosta is so huge and full of so many people!" Kratos kept a close eye on the girl as the two of them and Noishe entered the city._

_However, far away from the city limits was a lone figure. Clad in midnight blue armor and holding a spear, the lone figure slowly made his way towards the city of Palmacosta. _

Kratos finished speaking at the moment and Malon, Link, and Navi had their eyes on him.

"And…what happened next Kratos?" Kratos glanced over to Link, a smirk slowly forming over his face.

"We'll see…after some training, Link." Link's eyes widened.

"What? No!" Malon turned towards Link, glaring at him.

"You better get out there, Link. If you don't, you're going to have to answer to me! The sooner you're done, the sooner we get to hear the next part of Kratos' story."

Link groaned to himself before slipping out of kitchen with Kratos following him. As Malon went to clean the table from breakfast, Navi glances around and smiled to herself.

"Kratos in love? I can never picture that!"

**Me: Kratos in love? Heh.**

**Martel: What's so funny? **

**Me: Nothing. Just can't believe this story is has Kranna flashbacks now. Anyway, please review.**


	40. Fortress of Women

**Me: Finally updated this. Oh man, I've been waiting to do this chapter for awhile.**

**Martel: What did you do?**

**Me: You'll just have to wait and see. I tweaked my name a bit guys, just to let you know. Oh! And I also played through OoT 3D. Best version of the game in my opinion. **

**Martel: BigBossofMoss doesn't own LoZ or ToS. He commands you to buy a 3DS for OoT 3D.**

Chapter 40

Fortress of Women

Kratos' training with Link goes well into the late morning hours. Kratos keeps his eyes on Link's fighting form while they spare and is surprised to find that he is doing really well. Link dodges and blocks Kratos' sword strikes very nicely and attacks and counterattacks whenever Kratos purposely leaves himself open.

Kratos grins and for a split second leaves his left side unguarded.

Link's eyes the opening and goes for it. "Hyaaaah!"

Magic fills Link's sword and he unleashes a charged spin attack at Kratos. Kratos jumps backwards away from the steel of Link's blade but the force of the attack, knocks Kratos off his feet and onto his back.

"Ugh." Kratos glances up to see Link for a change pointing his sword at Kratos' neck.

Link smiles and lowers the Master Sword. "How's that, Kratos?" Link offers his hand to Kratos.

Kratos grabs it and he pushes himself off the ground while Link helps him up. "Impressive, Link. Your skills have really developed over the years…eh…or how long we have _really _been travelling together."

Link chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah…I don't know either. The whole time travelling thing makes it very obscure."

Both men laugh as they sheath their swords.

"Link! Kratos!"

Both of them turn back towards Lon Lon Ranch's barn to see Malon standing outside waving at them with Navi flying beside her. "Lunch is ready! Come on in and cool off!"

Link wipes his drenched forehead and turns to Kratos. "Since I beat you this time, can we end our training for today?"

Kratos gives him a smug smirk. "Don't bet on it."

* * *

Link watches as Malon rushes around the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on their lunch and grabbing out three bowls for the beef stew she has prepared. After some nudging and puppy dog eyes from Noishe, Malon sighs and gets out a fourth bowl for the protozoan.

The red head soon serves Link and Kratos each a bowl of the stew and places Noishe's bowl on the floor, where he then bolts towards to eat.

Giggling, Malon sits down at the table and sighs. "It's my mother's old recipe. I hope the carrots are cooked all the way."

Taking his spoon, Link takes a small amount of the food and tastes it. "This is great, Malon."

The Hero of Time soon begins to devour his lunch while Malon just rolls her eyes. She then narrows her eyes evilly at Kratos, who is remaining silent at the table.

As Link glances over to him with his spoon in his mouth, Kratos gets the message and begins to eat his serving, raising his eyebrows as he does. "This is rather good. Better than what Lloyd's teacher sometimes used to make."

Malon blinks. "Who?"

Kratos shakes his head. "Never mind. That's a whole other story."

Navi flies off of Malon's head and sits on Kratos' shoulder. "Speaking of stories, ON WITH YOUR LIFE STORY ALREADY!"

Kratos glances around the table to see Link and Malon starring at him in anticipation as well as Navi.

He rolls his eyes. "Very well. Anna and I were in Palmacosta gathering supplies for our travels, nothing new. However, fate's hand intervened that day and Anna's life as well as mine was to be changed forever."

_The hustle and bustle of the Sylvaranti capital as well as the sweet smell of the ocean was a bit overwhelming for Anna as she and Kratos walked around the town. The people around them were a bit unnerved by the sight of Noishe walking next to them but as they saw the protozoan licking Anna's hands compassionately, they shrugged and went about their business._

_Kratos sighed. "Now, Anna. We're just here to pick up some food supplies and then we're heading—"_

"_Oooh, Palma Potion! I wanna try some of that." _

_Kratos turned around and just starred as Anna went into the local pub in the middle of town. _

_Noishe whined and glanced up to him. **"Does she drink?" **_

_Kratos just rubbed his forehead. "Who knows, but I know I will after this whole ordeal." _

_As Kratos and Noishe followed Anna into the bar, the lone figure clad in midnight blue armor followed them from afar. _

_With his spear retracted and clipped on his back, he walked openly through town. His presence caused the people to either stare at him or just squirm away in fear. _

_The man casted a glance at these people. "Humph." _

_He slowly made his way towards the alley way next to the bar where he lean against the building, most of his body hidden in the shadows. __He then glanced up at the sky. "When the time comes, I will need your help, old friend."_

_It was then that a faint roar filled the sky._

* * *

_Kratos' attempts to get Anna to leave the bar proved to be futile. In fact, his attempts to control her only drove her to be more rebellious of him and down five Palma Potions. "Yooou know..you know wat Kratoast…your waaay too uptight. Yoou goota live a-a little."_

_Kratos just sighed. "Anna, I think you've had enough."_

_Anna struggled to stand on her feet as she turned to the mercenary. "Quit yar whiiining, purple man. I doo wat I waanna doo."_

_Kratos shook his head. "I'm not going to deal with this." With quick movements, Kratos bent down, picked up the drunken girl and threw her over his shoulder._

"_Waaah! Doo it aagain!" _

_Kratos ignored her and left some gald on the counter before making his way to exit with Noishe following behind him. _

_Kratos did his best to avoid Anna's kicking feet as he shifted his eyes to the young woman. "This was so stupid. You were so loud in there that it is a miracle we weren't caught."_

_Kratos continued to lecture her but Anna just ignored him as she wobbled in her arms. "Wheeee!"_

_Kratos growled. "Keep your voice down." Kratos then maneuvered his way out of the door of the bar. "Before you know it, Desians will be breathing down our…"_

_As Kratos went to glance outside and found about a hundred Desians brandishing their weapons, waiting for them. _

"…_necks." _

_The hair on Noishe's body stood up as he growled viciously at the small army. _

_It was then that leader made himself known as he walked up to them. His blond hair and beady red eyes stared down at Kratos before smiling at him._

"_We meet again, Kratos Aurion."_

_Though her senses were dulled by the alcohol, Anna's heart seemed to stop at the sound of that familiar, cold voice._

"_K-Kratos…iss..is that…"_

_Kratos stared down Kvar and his men, tightening his grip on Anna. "Lord Yggdrasill picked his subordinates well, it seems."_

_Kvar just threw his head back, cackling. "You're too modest, _my Lord_! The girl's inability to hold her own liquor and yell like a lunatic was like painting a red target on her face." With the snap of his fingers, Desian troops surrounded the two of them._

_Kratos stood there, unable to reach for his sword without dropping Anna from his shoulder. He clenched his teeth. "Damn!"_

_A purple rod appeared out of thin air and into Kvar's hands. "How pitiful. All your running to save this human maggot was all for naught. Return her to me and maybe Lord Yggdrasill will accept you back."_

_Anna's body shook in fear. "Kratos, don't. I-I can't go back there…"_

_Kratos glanced towards her. "You won't. As long as I have a single ounce of life in me, I will always protect you Anna." _

_Kvar smirked. "Then it seems you've chosen your fate. Kill Kratos and retrieve A012." _

_Kratos watched as all around him the Desian troops unsheathed their swords and ran towards them with bloodlust in their eyes. _

_Suddenly the sky went dark and the Desian soldiers that ran towards Kratos stopped dead in their tracks as they gazed up at the sky in fear. _

_Even Kvar's eyes widened. "I-It can't be!"_

_Kratos blinked and his eyes widened as well as a dark blue wyvern hovered about fifty feet in the air with a lone figure standing on top of it._

_Kratos gaped at the figure. "A…Dragoon!" _

_Kvar snarled. "Shoot him down! Now!" _

_The Desians with crossbows gawked at the wyvern, intimidated with only a few of them even attempting to fire their crossbows. The wyvern flapped its wings, sending an Air Slash spell at the cross bolts and right back at the Desian archers, killing a few. _

_It was then that the figure on top of the wyvern jumped down. As he jumped down, he extended the spear and landed on top of one Desian, killing him instantly. _

_Kvar clenched his fists and glared at his soldiers. "Attack! Kill that bastard!"_

_Soldiers sprinted towards the armored man, their swords in hand. _

_Kratos just stood there and watched as the man just sliced his way through Kvar's soldiers. The man wore midnight blue armor crafted from body of a deceased wyvern. It was armor that Kratos knew all too well. The armor of Dragoon Knights._

_As the Dragoon cut down the closest soldier to him, he glanced over to Kratos. "Quickly, we have to get out of here!" _

_Kratos snapped back to reality and nodded as he and the Dragoon bolted towards the edge of town with the wyvern holding back most of the troops that were still left alive. _

_Kvar was the only one chasing them. "You won't escape me!" _

_Anna involuntarily bounced along as Kratos ran as fast as he could out of the city. "I-I ddon't feel…so good." _

_Kratos cringed as he heard the sound of Anna puking the contents of what she drank behind him as he ran. _

_Kvar's face twisted in disgust as he slipped and fell into the large puddle of Anna's vomit. Two of Kvar's men stopped exchanged gross looks before helping the Grand Cardinal to his feet._

"_Are you alright, Sir?"_

_Before the second soldier could replied, Kvar clenched his fist in sheer rage and sent a lightning bolt straight at the man, knocking him out._

"_Get. That. Bitch."_

_The soldier didn't need to be told twice._

_The Dragoon glanced behind him and then back at Kratos. "Looks like the girl couldn't hold her alcohol, huh?"_

_Kratos chuckled a bit before he and the Dragoon stopped at the edge of the city to see the rest of Kvar's army waiting for him. _

_The Dragoon tightened his grip on his lance. "Damn!" _

_Kratos then turned back to see a vicious looking Kvar coming right at them._

"_There's only one way out of this and both of us know what that is." _

_Kratos eyes widened and he turned to the Dragoon. "How did you—"_

"_KRATOS!" _

_Both men turned back to see Kvar almost caught up to them with Anna starting to sober up now. "…Kratos, what does he mean." _

_Kratos stood there and the world seemed to slow down all around him. Taking a deep breath, the auburn haired man closed his eyes. "Sacred Powers, cast thy purifying light upon these corrupt souls, rest in peace, sinners…"_

_Anna's eyes widened as blue translucent wings appeared behind Kratos' back._

"_JUDGMENT!"_

_Powerful light from the sky annihilated all of the soldiers in sight. The Dragoon's wyvern dodged the powerful beams of light and flew low to allow its rider to jump back on while Kratos himself took to the air with Anna still hanging over his shoulders, speechless at what just happened._

Link, Navi, and Malon continue to stare at Kratos as he finishes. Kratos then gets up from his chair just in time for Navi to bombard him with questions.

"So you're just going to stop there? What happened next? What does Anna think of you? Who was that Dragoon guy and where are you going?"

Kratos turns around towards the fairy. "I believe I've said enough. For now, we have more important things to be doing, such as finding the last Medallion."

Link gets up from his chair. "I remember Sheik saying that one of the temples was 'inside the Goddess of the Sand.' I wonder where that could be."

Kratos closes his eyes. "Sheik may have been referring to a temple located somewhere in a desert."

"Oh!"

Both Link and Kratos turn towards Malon who stands up from the table. "I've heard legends of such a temple carved within the shape of one Hyrule's three Goddesses. Supposedly, the temple is somewhere in the Gerudo Desert."

Kratos closes his eyes. "Gerudo Desert, hmm..."

Link raises his eyebrows and turns to Malon. "Are you sure?"

The red head nods. "Yeah, my mother used to tell me about it all the time when I was a child."

Kratos then glances at Link. "You realize that this will be our toughest task yet. Taking the fight to the place Ganondorf was most likely born."

Link was silent as he takes a breathe. He then turns towards Kratos. "I can handle it, Kratos."

Kratos smirks at the determination on Link's face. "Then let us make our leave."

* * *

The following afternoon Link, rides on Epona and Kratos, rides on Noishe with Navi sitting on both of their heads from time to time, heading west to an area of Hyrule that was dark territory to them both.

As Epona gallops, Link turns towards Kratos. "Kratos, I know Ganondorf is of the Gerudo tribe. But do you know anything else about them?"

Kratos shakes his head. "No. Unlike the past temples, Link, we never ventured into the desert before when you were a child. Keep your guard up at all times, we don't know what we're up against."

Link nods and the two of them continue on in silence.

Eventually, the terrain becomes a whole lot rougher with patches of grass along rocky hills. This eventually gives way to mountainous cliffs with hardly any plant life growing. The angle of the sun suggests that this area of Hyrule is always in direct sunlight judging by the intensity of the heat and the copper coloring of the surrounding rock.

The change in the environment only urges Link to ride faster. "We must be getting close."

Kratos turns to Link to respond but his eyes suddenly light up in panic. "Link! Stop Epona!"

"Wha…oh shit!" Link pulls back on the reigns sharply as Epona skids to a halt.

Kratos also has Noishe stop and with the help of the fenrilra's wings, he is able to stop more smoothly than Link and Epona.

Both Link and Kratos dismount and each of them glance over at the large gorge in front of them. The sound of crashing waterfalls fill their ears as they stare at the river that is flowing several hundred feet below them.

Link just groans. "Great. How are we supposed to get across this?"

Kratos narrows his eyes and looks around the edges of the cliff.

Link turns around towards him, curious. "What are you looking at?"

Kratos knells down and runs his hand along what appears to be a wooden post before turning towards Link. "Come and look at this."

Link blinks and walks towards the mercenary to see him inspecting an aged piece of wood. "What is this?"

Kratos then turns around to his left and points to what he sees. "There used to be a bridge here. It was probably destroyed years ago."

Link's eyes widen before he turns towards the other side of the cliff to see two more similar posts over there as well. "You're right…so what do you suggest we do now?"

"Hmm…" Kratos glances around the area they are standing in before turning back to Link. "Send Epona back to Malon. Noishe will just have to fly us over the gorge to the other side."

Link smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

Link quickly says his goodbyes to the horse before she turns around and gallops back to the ranch. In the meantime, Kratos shares a short conversation with the protozoan.

"Are you happy now? You're finally coming with us to one of the Temples."

The protozoan gave him a huge grin. **"About time! I love Malon but I was just so bored lying around all day." **

Link's ears perk up and he turns around towards the two of them before he realizes that Noishe is talking. "Hey, Kratos. I've been wondering about this for a while now but…Noishe…talks, right?"

Both Kratos and Noishe glance at each other before turning back towards Link. "Yes, he does Link. One of the powers of my Cruxis Crystal allows me to communicate with him."

Link just frowns. "But…I can understand him too. And I don't have a Cruxis Crystal. I haven't talked about it much because so many other things were on my mind for awhile but how can I understand him?"

Kratos shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know, Link." Kratos then tilts his head. "When was the first time you heard Noishe speak?"

Link thought about it for a second. "When we first saw him at Lon Lon Ranch in the future, that's when I first heard his voice."

Noishe rolls his eyes. **"Does it really matter that much to you, Link?" **

Link rubs the back of his neck. "N-Not really. I'm just curious."

Noishe yawns and goes to scratch his ear. **"Just accept the fact that I can talk and you can somehow understand me."**

Link was slightly taken aback. "Um…alright."

Navi soon flies off of Link's head and hovers in between Kratos, Noishe, and Link. "What ARE you three talking about!"

All three of them sigh.

Kratos and Link soon get on top of Noishe and with a running start and the flapping of his wings, Noishe quickly got the two of them over the gorge and they land safely on the other side.

Link dismounts Noishe and soon something catches his eye. "What is that?"

Kratos turns in the direction Link was facing to see a tent set up in a shady area of the canyon.

Ever so cautious, Kratos draws his sword and he slowly makes his way towards the tent with Link following right behind him, with the Master Sword unsheathed as well.

It was then that someone emerges from the tent. A somewhat aged man with streaks of white in his black hair stretches his arms before his eyes widen at the sight of Kratos and Link with their swords unsheathed. "Oh Goddesses! Don't kill me!"

Link narrows his eyes at the man before sheathing his sword. "We're not going to kill you. Who are you? You seem…familiar."

Kratos casts his eyes towards Link before sheathing his own blade and then turns back to the middle aged man. "You live in Kakiriko Village, don't you?"

The man nods. "Yeah, I do. I am Mutoh, the boss of group of lazy carpenters." Mutoh sighs. "Or at least, I used to be…"

"What happened?" Link asks.

Mutoh snarls a bit. "Those good for nothing carpenters got so lazy that they up and quit just as I took the job to repair this bridge. They heard tales of the female Gerudo thieves and decided that being a thief would be easier than working for me. But they'll be in for a frightening surprise once they get to their fortress."

Link and Kratos glance at each other before Kratos turns back to Mutoh. "What do you mean? Who exactly are the Gerudo?"

Mutoh just raises his bushy eyebrows. "Have you two been living under a rock?" Link and Kratos didn't reply and Mutoh just sighs. "Legends say that the Gerudo are a hardy group of women who live in the desert. The harsh nature of the desert leaves them with little to no resources of their own so all of them are trained to be the best thieves in all of Hyrule."

Link tilts his head to the side. "Women? What about the men?"

Mutoh shakes his head. "There are no Gerudo men. The most mysterious legend of this society is that even though all babies born are all women, once every 100 years or so, it is said that one male is born." Mutoh chuckles evilly. "And I hope you know who that male Gerudo is or I'm going to have to knock some sense into ya the hard way."

Kratos turns to Link. "Ganondorf must have usurped the leadership of the tribe and became the King of Thieves."

Link slowly nods. "Most likely." Link then turns back to Mutoh. "We must go through the Gerudo Fortress and to the desert. We'll rescue your men for you."

Mutoh narrows his eyes at them. "You won't. Those women are too strong for you to handle."

Kratos just turns away from the carpenter boss. "We'll take our chances. Let us get going, Link."

Link nods and he, Kratos, and Noishe continue their way through the canyons of the Gerudo Valley.

* * *

The Gerudo Valley soon ends and Kratos, Noishe, Link, and Navi stop to stare at the sight of the Gerudo Fortress. It is built from stone bricks that didn't look native to area and looks very bleak compared to the surrounding canyon it is built next to.

Kratos suspects that this was to protect the women from the frequent sandstorms of living in a desert environment.

Closer observation of the Fortress shows that Gerudo women are vastly different from the women in Hyrule. Their hair is all bright red and their skin is a deep tan, most likely from living in the desert. They wear loose long blue pants with matching blue tops covering their chests and exposing their bellies. Holding halberd-like weapons, both of them watch as many of Gerudo guards patrol the grounds of their fortress.

Noishe turns to Link who looks deep in thought. **"Do you have a plan for getting in?"**

"I'm thinking about."

Navi soon flies off of Link's hat and turns to Noishe hearing only low growls and whines.

"**I could run up and cause a huge scene letting you guys in!" **

Link shakes his head. "I don't think that will work. If these women are truly the best thieves in Hyrule like Mutoh said, they would suspect something is up.

Navi grinds her teeth, annoyed that she couldn't understand half the conversation.

Noishe then turns to Kratos. **"Well I'm sure you have an idea or two?" **

Kratos turns to the protozoan and raises his eyebrows. "Actually, no. The movements of these guards are random and unpredictable. I fear that any chance of sneaking in are slim to none."

It is at this point that Navi finally loses her cool. "WILL SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT THE MUTT IS SAYING!"

Suddenly the Gerudo guards turn over to the spot where they are hiding.

Link and Kratos unsheathe their swords as guards come down towards them.

Soon, the group of four is surrounded by at least fifty guards. One of the guards wearing a red outfit instead of the normal blue one steps forward and she looks almost surprised at the sight of Link and Kratos as well as some of her soldiers before speaking in a strong, demanding tone.

"Drop your weapons!"

However, Link refuses and he just glares back at the Gerudo in the red.

It seems to happen so slowly but out of the corner of Link's eye, he sees something that he thought he would never see in his life.

_Clang!_

Kratos had dropped his sword and put his hands in the air.

Link's eyes widen as Gerudo forces soon rush them, disarming Link and tying all of them up.

* * *

"Aaah!"

Link feels severe pain as his face hits the stone floor of a prison cell.

With his arms and legs still restrained, he can only wiggle his body so that he lies on his side as the Gerudo thief who threw him down into his cell, smirks. "That's what you men get for sneaking onto our land. Just sit tight…for now."

Link groans as he hears the slamming of door from above.

Three Gerudo guards walk in front of and on the sides of Kratos who willingly follows them. His arms are restrained with thick rope that he can easily rip off but his reasons force him to surrender.

The guards soon lead him to a large looking chamber that is highly decorated with rugs and veils covering the door ways in and out of the room.

Kratos glances around the room until someone comes through the veil. A Gerudo woman, wearing a similar outfit but garbed in green looks over the man that her fellow sisters had captured.

She circles Kratos and he just watches her movements.

It is he who finally brakes the silence between them. "I trust that you will honor our agreement."

The Gerudo looks up at the mercenary and gives him a sweet smile. "Only if you will do the same." She then glances to the other Gerudo guards. "Leave us."

The three Gerudo guards soon leave the room.

The Gerudo in green motions Kratos into her chambers and has him sit down in the one chair in the middle of the room. "What is your name, if I may ask?"

Kratos narrows his eyes at her. "Kratos Aurion."

The Gerudo in green smiles. "Very unusual name, even for Hylians."

"From what I'm told, yes."

"Hmm…well I am Aveil, leader of the Gerudo Fortress." She walks slowly around Kratos who remains sitting. "From what I am told, you surrendered peacefully on the condition that we do not harm the young man who was with you."

Kratos closes his eyes. "Yes. You can do what you wish to me but all I ask is that you do not harm, Link."

Aveil then smirks. "Oh, I intend to." She then proceeds to lick the back of Kratos' neck.

Kratos cringes. "What are—"

Aveil quickly runs around and jumps into Kratos' lap, wrapping her legs around and straddling him. "We are a race of women, Kratos. Ever since the Great Ganondorf took over, we have been able to venture into Hyrule less and less often." She puts her hands on Kratos face and smashes her lips into his.

Kratos eyes widen at the position he put himself in.

Aveil then pulls away from his face and stares at him, full of lust. "As a result, my sisters and I have been physically starving! Unlike those fat disgusting carpenters we captured, you are a man who is very deserving of my people and you will serve us well~

**Martel: O.o**

**Me: Yeah, I went there.**

**Martel: O.o Review.**

**Me: Obviously this is rated T so no lemon will be written. However, if one of my readers is willing to write a decent lemon story involving Kratos, PM me first and we'll talk about it. **


	41. The Rescue

**Martel: *glares at me***

**Me: I know, I know a lot of you are...less than happy with me at the moment. **

**Martel: That's the understatement of the year. **

**Me: Anyway, I don't own ToS or LoZ. **

Chapter 41

The Rescue

Link just groans as he tries to free himself against the ropes tied around his wrists and ankles but to no avail. "Damn. It's no use. They really didn't want me to escape."

"That's the point of taking prisoners, Link."

Link blinks as he glances up towards the closed off hole on the ceiling of his cell. He smiles as Navi comes flying down towards him. "Navi! You're alright!"

The fairy flies around him and goes towards the ropes binding the boy's wrist. "I'm so sorry, Link. I flew away just as they captured you, Kratos, and Noishe."

Link just lies there and listens to her speak from behind his back. "It's alright, Navi. You along with Kratos have saved my butt more times than I can count. Can you get the ropes off my arms?"

"I'll try."

With a determined look on her tiny face, Navi uses all of her strength and tugs at the ropes, hoping to untie the tight knot. "Ugh, ugh!" Navi ceases her actions and takes a breath as she lies on the ropes. "I'm sorry, Link but I'm not strong enough."

Link sighs. "Can't you use your fairy powers or something?"

Navi just shakes her head. "I don't have—wait." Navi flies up into the air and goes back towards the exit of the cell.

"Where are you going?" Link asks.

"Just hang on for a second, I have an idea."

Link does what he is told and lays his head on the stone floor. His mind just keeps on replaying the scene in his head. Why would Kratos surrender? For a man that was as strong as he was, why would he surrender to the Gerudo?

"I'm back!"

Link looks up and his eyes widen at the sight before him.

Navi floated above him, glowing a bright shade of red.

Link is just awestruck by the sight of her. "Navi, what happened?"

The fairy dingled. "Your comments on my so called 'fairy powers' gave me an idea. I flew up to the area just outside the cell to find the weapons and pack they took from you." Navi flies over behind Link again and holds her hands out. A small stream of fire comes out of the fairies hands and Navi slowly burns away the rope around Link's wrists, being very careful not to burn him in the process. "I went through your pack and found the Din's Fire crystal that one of the Great Fairies gave you. So I put my hands on the crystal and some of its power transferred into my body."

"You can do that?" Link asked, surprised.

Navi nodded. "Great Fairies are still fairies when you think about it. It's like if you were to use another guy's sword in comparison."

Navi finished cutting through the ropes around Link's hands and feet and he was instantly free. After stretching his arms and his legs, Link looks up to find that he is still technically trapped. A metal grating covers the hole of his cell over his head.

Link turns to Navi, who is still glowing red. "Hey, Navi. Do you think you could melt those bars?"

The fairy smirked. "Oh, I think I can do better than that."

Navi then flies up and out of the cell and Link is once again forced to wait for his fairy to come back.

Suddenly the metal grating begins to move and Link just watches as the door to the cell opens up completely. Navi then comes back to him and throws down the young man's Longshot.

Link just chuckles. "Nice melting, Navi."

* * *

A Gerudo thief looking like she is in her early teenage years quickly runs towards Aveil's room, panic on her face.

As she approaches her leader's room, the sounds of Aveil's moaning becomes apparent and a deep blush comes to the young girl's face as she stops next to the thin curtain that covers her leader's door.

The girl grasps at her long white pants, feeling very nervous. "La-Lady Aveil! I have…eh…urgent news."

Silence takes control of the room as the young girl hears the footsteps of her leader approaching.

As Aveil comes into view, covered up in a bed sheet wrapped around her, the young Gerudo girl turns away in embarrassment.

Aveil tilts her head at the young girl. "What's wrong, Maali?"

Maali bit her lip and continues to avoid her leader's eyes. "Why must you do this to that man? He surrendered peacefully."

Aveil just smiles. "When you're older, you'll understand."

Maali just whispers to herself. "I don't think I will..."

As Aveil turns around to go back into her room, Maali's eyes widen. "Wait!"

Aveil turns around and blinks at her younger sister. "Yes, what is it?"

Maali goes to finally look at her leader face to face and gulps. "That…creature that was with those two men. It…It…"

Aveil eyes widen as Maali visibly shakes. "Calm down, Maali. What did that creature do?"

"It…escaped and…flew away…"

Maali shuts her eyes tight and braces herself for punishment.

But she only hears a sigh from Aveil. "Was that all, Maali?"

Maali blinks, surprised. "You…You're not mad at me for losing it?"

Aveil shakes her head. "I can't really blame you since even I don't know how to handle a wolf with wings either."

"…I thought it was more of a dog with wings?"

Aveil rolls her eyes. "Whatever. The point is that things like this happen. Don't beat yourself up over it."

For the first time that day, Maali smiles. "Thanks, Aveil. …If you don't mind me asking, you're a lot more…friendlier than usual."

A devious smirk appears on Aveil's face. "Let's just say that my tension…is being taken care of."

Maali turns away, cringing. "That's just gross."

Aveil smirks and she disappears back into her room. "What in Din's name!"

Suddenly Maali perks her head up. "Aveil! Is something wrong?"

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT SOMETHING'S WRONG! MY BOYTOY…HE'S GONE!"

Maali's eyes widen. "I'll alert our other sisters!" As Maali turns away to spread the word of the missing mercenary, a smile just appears on the young girl's face.

* * *

Peeking around the corner of the wall, Link surveys the next area of the Fortress. The next room contains plenty of wooden crates and has a large metal cauldron in the middle of the room with two Gerudo guards circling around it.

Link's face scrunches together in disappointment and he turns back towards Navi. "Seems our luck ran out, Navi. There are two of them in there."

Navi just blinks at Link. "Can't you…take care of them?"

Link is silent for a moment before he shakes his head. "I can't, Navi."

"Why?"

Link sighs and turns away from her. "Since the beginning of this adventure, I've only had to fight monsters, hostile animals, and just…horrible creatures." Link then turns back to Navi. "I've never had to fight a person before and if it came down to it…I don't think I would be able to kill another human being."

Navi droops in the air after hearing Link's words. "But what choice do you have, Link? In a fight, it's either you or them. Kratos would say the same thing."

Link stands there for a moment before squeezing his hands into fists. "No, I don't think he would."

Navi blinks. "What?"

Link turns to her with new determination in his eyes. "Kratos didn't look like he wanted to kill those warriors before either. I...I will not kill these people even if I have to protect myself."

Navi frowns. "But Link, think about it. It is impossible for you to continue this journey unless you kill these Gerudo. And I think Kratos would say the same thing here."

Link ignores Navi and turns back to spy on the guards in the next room. Glancing around the room, an idea comes to the boy's head and he takes out his bow. Link then reaches for an arrow from his quiver on his back and Navi watches as he takes aim with the arrow pointing at one of the guards in the room.

Link turns towards Navi and just smirks as the arrow lights up, the point magically on fire.

_Swoosh! _

Link lets go of the arrow and it flies right by the guard and hits one of the many wooden crates in the room, setting it ablaze. The two guards in the room immediately begin to panic.

"What in the world? What happened?"

"It doesn't matter! We have to get some water, now!"

As the two guards bolt out of the room to prevent the fire from spreading, Link turns to Navi. "There's always another way."

However Navi isn't looking at Link or the crate on fire. Instead, she is staring in a different direction towards another Gerudo who had just entered the room from behind them.

Maali stands behind Link, wielding a sharp dagger.

Link just stares back at her, shocked that he didn't hear her approach.

The two of them stand there for a moment, smoke starting to fill the room. It is then that Maali breaks the silence. "…Did you really mean what you said?"

Navi turns to Link as he exchanges glances between her and Maali. It is then, that Link puts his bow away and just nods at Maali.

Maali, her feet trembling, smiles and sheaths her dagger. "Follow me then."

* * *

Two Gerudo guards rush by along a long hallway with portraits of Ganondorf decorated on both walls far as the eye can see.

The first guard turns to the other as they run. "You were there when they captured that swordsman, right? I've been hearing that he actually looks handsome."

The second guard smirks as they run. "You have no idea. Lady Aveil was very lucky to have some _quality time_ with him before he escaped."

The two of them soon run into another guard at a fork in the hallway. They quickly stop and bow to the lone Gerudo guard who wore only red compared to the two guards in blue.

The Gerudo guard turns to them and regards the two guards with an emotionless look on her face. "Split up and search the grounds, sisters. I've just been informed that our other prisoner has escaped as well."

The two guards bow again. "Yes, Lady Faizah."

As the two guards depart both left and right, Faizah gets ready to leave as well.

_Crumble._

Faizah soon stops and grips her one of her scimitars. Her eyes then quickly glance to the one window at the end of the long hallway in the fortress. Slowly but surely, Faizah walks towards the window and looks all around her surroundings seeing only other portions of the fortress and many of her sisters patrolling the fortress grounds.

"Hmm…"

She relaxes her grip and begins to walk away from the window. Still feeling uneasy, she gives the lone window one final glance before she disappears down the right fork of the hallway.

Moments pass in the empty hallway before a familiar looking mercenary slips through the top portion of the window. His hair disheveled and parts of his cloths wrinkled and ripped, Kratos stands rigid as he takes in all of his surroundings before his body relaxes and he sighs to himself.

His mind thinks back to what he just went through and Kratos closes his eyes and shudders. He nearly loses his balance standing before Kratos opens his eyes back to reality.

"_Help! Is anyone out there?"_

Kratos suddenly opens his eyes and glances towards the left fork of the hallway. "Those voices, they're not…female."

Kratos gives one last look around his surroundings before he dashes off towards the masculine sounding yell.

* * *

Link and Maali continue to run through the narrow hallways of the fortress with Navi flying right behind them.

The fairy dingles as she goes to land on Link's head. "Where are you taking us?"

Maali keeps her eyes open for guards as they run before responding. "You'll see in a moment. Just be patient."

Navi's wings droop. "Humph."

For the next couple of minutes, Link and Navi follow the young girl as they take multiple turns and descents through the large fortress. Eventually, the three of them come up upon a large open room with four middle aged men lying around and locked in a prison cell.

The four men turn towards Link and Navi and they instantly spring to their feet.

"Thank the Goddesses!"

"We're saved!"

"Get us out of here kid."

"And get us some food!"

Link blinks when he suddenly remembers who these men are. "Are you guys…Mutoh's carpenters?"

One of the carpenters nods. "Yes. We came here wanting to be thieves instead of working as lowly carpenters. But the Gerudo refused our request to join them and they locked us up in here."

Maali just rolls her eyes. "You just can't volunteer yourself to become one of us. Only Lady Aveil can make you honorary Gerudo Thieves and trust me, you guys are NOT Gerudo material."

The second carpenter sighs. "We know that now. All I want to do is get out of here."

The third carpenter smirks to himself. "Not me. I heard what these fine ladies do to their male prisoners."

Maali's face reddens and Link turns to her, confused.

The third carpenter continues. "I can only imagine what exotic ways they'd use us, am I right?"

The fourth carpenter just shrugs. "I just want to get out of here and have a fried Cuckoo sandwich."

Link just blinks, still confused. He then turns to Maali who is as red as a tomato. "Am I missing something?"

Maali just groans. "I don't want to talk about it."

"_You might as well tell him, traitor."_

Maali gasps and she and Link turn around as Faizah drops from the ceiling of the room very gracefully.

She stands up slowly and just glares at Maali. "You would betray your own sisters to help this…man."

Maali stands silently for a moment. She then clenches her fists and stares back at Faizah. "I'm not betraying our sisters, Faizah." Maali then gestures her hand towards the prison cell. "I'm just doing the right thing by freeing these carpenters."

Faizah just narrows her eyes. "I'm sure you freed this one as well." The Gerudo warrior glances towards Link.

Maali eyes widen. "I didn't free him. He was just—"

"Enough!" Faizah then unsheathes both of her scimitars and stares down at Link. "Unsheathe your sword, boy! You probably have more honor than this traitor here."

Maali's eyes well up and she turns towards Link.

Link stares back at Maali, unable to control the situation. Link then turns towards Faizah and he slowly unsheathes his sword and equips his shield.

Maali's eyes widen. "But…but you promised!"

Link glances back at the young teenager. "I did promise."

Complete surprise comes over Faizah's face as Link just releases his grip dropping both the Master Sword and his Hylian Shield to the ground.

Maali's face lights up. "Link!"

Meanwhile, Faizah's face just scrunches up in frustration. "Coward! Stand and fight like the man you are!"

However Link just shakes his head. "I won't fight another living person."

Anger courses through Faizah's body as she stares at Link. Out of sheer rage, Faizah throws one of her scimitars straight at Link.

Link sees it coming and quickly ducks and rolls his body to the left.

_Clank!_

Link turns around and sees the lock of the cell fall to the ground, broken. His gaze follows up as he sees Faizah's scimitar firmly lodged into the metal door.

Link then turns back to the berserk Gerudo. Faizah's eyes flare up and Maali takes a step back, afraid for her life. "Sister, what's gotten into you?"

Faizah ignores Maali and she turns towards the captive four carpenters. "Is there any men among you that will face me!"

"_I will."_

Everyone suddenly turns towards the shadowy hallway at the end of the room. Link gasps as Kratos comes into the light and Maali looks away from him as Faizah smirks evilly at him. "Looks like Lady Aveil had a great time with you."

"…" Kratos clenches his hands.

Faizah chuckled. "Did I touch a nerve? Or do you don't roll that way?"

Kratos unsheathes his sword and glares at Faizah. "Let them go."

"How bout you 'submit' yourself to me and I'll think about it."

Gripping his sword, Kratos rushes towards Faizah in anger and quickly attempts a vertical slice which she immediately blocks.

Maali then turns to Link. "Get them out of there."

Link nods and runs towards the cell. Digging in his feet, Link tugs on the scimitar in the door with as much strength as he can muster.

As Link tries to free the carpenters, Kratos' fight with Faizah continues. Kratos went on the offensive and began to bombard her with continuous diagonal and horizontal sword slices making Faizah take steps back to avoid his blade.

"Ugh!" Faizah jumps back farther, away from Kratos' sword. It is then that she notices behind Kratos that Link is trying to free her scimitar from the prison cell door.

Faizah glances back towards Kratos, smirking before she starts running towards the mercenary. Kratos stands his ground and prepares for her attack. It is then that Kratos notices that she is not going to attack him as she comes closer and closer.

In an awesome display, Faizah leaps right over Kratos' head with her scimitar in hand and prepares to cut down Link.

Kratos' body bristles. "Get out of the way, Link!"

Link glances towards Kratos and sees the Gerudo guard in the air, coming down on him. Link's eyes widen and he throws his body out of the way of her attack as her scimitar slices through the horizontal bars on the cell door.

Kratos sighs in relief and grips his sword as Faizah easily pulls her other scimitar out of the cell door.

Link watches from the ground as both warriors prepare for one final attack as Kratos and Faizah glare at each other.

"Enough!"

Kratos' blood goes cold and he slowly glances to the left to see Aveil just standing at one of the entrances of the room, with her arms crossed. She has a rather annoyed look on her face as she stares at Faizah. "I think you've proven your point, Faizah." She glances over to Kratos and gives him a coy smile. She then glances back to Faizah. "Let those filthy men leave and end this childish fight of yours."

Faizah looks like she is ready to belittle her leader but for once, she holds herself back. "My Lady…" She then gestures to Link, Kratos, and the carpenters. "These men trespassed on our land. Are you just going to let them go?"

Aveil just closes her eyes. "It is true that they trespassed in our desert." Aveil then opens her eyes and stares at Faizah. "However…unlike these carpenters, Kratos and the young boy have proven to be much greater warriors than even you and I, Faizah."

Maali makes herself known by coming out of hiding from behind her sister.

Faizah narrows her eyes at Maali before turning back towards Aveil. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes before bowing. "Very well, Lady Aveil." Faizah then walks over to the prison cell door.

She stands there for a moment as everyone impatiently waits for Faizah to open the cell door.

Aveil glances towards the warrior with her eyebrows raised. "Is there a problem?"

"Yeah…" Faizah turns around and her face is looks a lot more light hearted as she rubs the back of her neck in embarrassment. "I…kinda destroyed the door in the fight just now..."

Everyone in the room just sweatdropped.

* * *

After some creativity getting the door to open, Kratos, Link, Maali, and the four carpenters walked out of the fortress and onto the fortress grounds. The four carpenters glance over to them, happy to be out of the fortress.

"Thanks a lot, kid."

"You too, Mr. Mercenary."

"And you as well, Maali."

"Let's go already, I feel like I've wasted away to nothing!"

As Kratos stands off to the side, Link and Maali wave good-bye to the four carpenters as they leave Gerudo Fortress to return to Mutoh to finish rebuilding the bridge in Gerudo Valley.

Link sighs to himself, glad that the ordeal is over with and he turns to Maali. "I really can't thank you enough, Maali. Thank you, again."

Maali just grins. "It's no problem at all. I talked to my sister and convinced her that you two are Gerudo material."

Link smiles and turns behind him. "Did you hear that, Kratos? We don't have to worry about the Gerudo anymore…Kratos."

Link watches as Kratos just walks away from him. Maali watches as well and starts feeling very guilty for her sister's actions.

"Kratos—" Link stops when he feels Maali's hand on his shoulder.

She shakes her head. "Let him be, Link. He needs some time to himself."

Link blinks. "Why? What happened to him?"

Kratos listens from afar with angelic hearing and just hears Link's terrified gasps as he just walks away from the two of them.

**Martel: So you're just going to end it there?**

**Me: *nods* It seemed like a good place to stop. Review please. **


	42. Ghost in the Sandstorm

**Me: This was by far, the most difficult chapter I've ever written. **

**Martel: Why? **

**Me: You'll see. Now if you excuse me, my new game came in the mail. *goes to play Final Fantasy V***

**Martel: Big Boss doesn't own ToS or LoZ**

Chapter 42

Ghost of the Sandstorm

A harsh breeze blows through the cliffs along the Gerudo Valley. Sitting in a secluded spot, Kratos just keeps his head down as he leans his back against the smoothed out cliff wall.

Time passes by very slowly for him as he is left with the memories of what happened to him inside the Gerudo Fortress. Kratos leans his head back up and just sighs as he hears the flapping of large wings coming by him.

Without moving his head, Kratos glances up towards his old friend who immediately notices where he is and so the protozoan runs straight to him.

Noishe just smiles at him, unaware of what Kratos went through. **"Kratos!" **

Kratos doesn't respond and just continues to sulk as Noishe walks up next to him.

Noishe blinks and goes to lie on his belly. **"Something's bothering you, isn't there?"**

"…" Kratos turns away from his friend causing Noishe to walk around him to see his face.

"**Come on, you can tell me what happened. It can't be that bad." **

Kratos just shakes his head. "I betrayed her, Noishe."

Noishe just tilts his head. **"Betrayed who?"**

Kratos looks up at him and Noishe is surprised to see tears running down Kratos' face. "Anna. I betrayed Anna, Noishe."

Kratos then informs Noishe what happened to him inside Gerudo's Fortress and what he unknowingly agreed to do to protect Link from them. Noishe cringes as Kratos goes into every detail but still lends an ear to his old friend.

After Kratos finishes telling the story, Noishe finally responds. **"Is Link alright?" **Kratos nods and Noishe sighs in relief. **"No matter how you look at it Kratos…you did the right thing. Think about it, would you feel better if the Gerudo leader had her way with Link rather than you?"**

"…No, but—"

"**But nothing!" **Noishe barks at him. **"If Anna was still alive, she would have understood what you had to do. You had no other option and you did the right thing, Kratos."**

Kratos glances west towards the Gerudo Fortress. He then turns back towards Noishe. "I can't let this get to me…"

"**Kratos?"**

Kratos gets up to his feet and begins to walk back to Gerudo Fortress. He looks over his shoulder, back at Noishe. "Come, Noishe. Our journey with Link is not over yet. We still have a job to do."

As Kratos begins to walk back, Noishe just stares at his back with wide, sad eyes. His paws clench and dig into the tough desert soil before Noishe goes to rejoin Kratos and make their way back to the Fortress.

* * *

Kratos and Noishe slowly walk back onto the Fortress grounds. The guards patrolling the area all turn to see the mercenary and the fenrilra walking past them but none of them say anything at the unusual sight.

After a few moments of walking on the Fortress grounds, Kratos flinches for a second when he sees Link, Maali…and Aveil speaking. When Link finally sees Kratos, he gives Aveil an awkward glance before running up to his teacher.

Once he reaches Kratos, Link finds himself speechless for a moment.

Seeing that Link couldn't speak, Navi flies off of his head and faces Kratos. "…Kratos…how are you feeling?"

Kratos doesn't reply back and it is then that Link finds his voice. "We heard what happened, Kratos. Are you going to be alright?"

Kratos glances between Link and Navi's gazes with his usual emotionless face. "I'm fine." Kratos then turns back to Link. "We need to get to the Spirit Temple, Link."

Link's eyes widen. "Oh! About that…um…Aveil…wanted to talk to…the both of us."

Kratos looks up to see Maali and Aveil talking among themselves.

Link in the meantime, sweatdrops nervously. "I mean…we don't have to talk to her but she has important information about how we can cross the desert and…" Link turns away from Kratos. "…she…wanted to apologize."

"Hmm…"

Link and Navi just stand there, waiting for Kratos' reaction.

"…Let's hear what she has to say."

Link blinks, surprised and looks on as Kratos walks past him and towards Maali and Aveil.

Navi flies up to Link and just floats there. "Link…is he…okay?"

Link frowns. "I don't know, Navi…I don't know."

Navi goes to sit on Link's head and Link runs to catch up to Kratos and the two of them walk up to the two Gerudos.

Aveil gives Kratos a guilty smile as he stands in front of her. "Kratos…I don't normally do this but…let me apologize over…what happened between us, I'm sorry."

"…" Kratos says nothing and he just continues to stare at Aveil.

Silence follows as Kratos refuses to respond to Aveil and the Gerudo just sighs. "Anyway, for proving that you and Link are true warriors, I, Aveil, third in command, make Link and Kratos, honorary members of our tribe."

Maali just rolls her eyes. "You're so unnecessarily dramatic."

Aveil ignores her sister and continues. "You two may now walk among the Fortress and its grounds and use our facilities any time you want."

Link nods. "Thank you. Um…Aveil, Kratos and I were wondering…if you knew where the Spirit Temple was located."

Maali glances up towards her sister who is silent for a moment. Aveil glances back towards her sister before responding to Link. "I take it that you wish to meet our second in command, Nabooru in the Desert Colossus."

Link and Kratos exchange nervous glances before Link responds back. "Yeah…that's it."

Aveil narrows her eyes at the two of them. "Follow me then."

Link, Kratos, Noishe, and Navi follow Aveil and Maali across the Fortress grounds. They soon come to the western side of the Fortress where the Gerudo Valley cliffs officially end. Link and Kratos stare at the enormous wooden gate that bars their way to the desert on the other side.

"I've been hearing rumors of late of a young man opposing the Great Ganondorf's reign."

Link's eyes widen as Aveil and Maali turn around to face them.

Kratos glances towards Link and looks back towards Aveil. "That's some rumor."

Aveil just nods and crosses her arms. "The 'Hero of Time' is what I keep hearing from my sources, if I am correct." She turns to Link. "Have you ever heard of him?"

Link's body tenses up as he stares at Aveil. "…I…may have heard of the rumor."

Aveil stares at Link for a moment before she closes her eyes smiling. "It's only a rumor." She then opens her eyes and turns to both of the guards by the large wooden gate. "Open the gate."

The two guards bow and the large gate is slowly pulled up and Link just stares at the vast desert that is before him.

Maali then speaks up. "To cross our desert, you must first face two trials of the sand: the first trial is called the 'River of Sand.' The second trial is far more difficult and by our tribe's bylaws, I cannot tell you what it is. It is up to you to figure it out."

Link takes in all the information given to him and he nods. "I understand. Thanks again, Maali."

Kratos nods as well and turns towards Link. "Let us be on our way."

Link, Navi, Kratos, and Noishe soon exit off of the Gerudo Fortress grounds as Aveil and Maali wave farewell to all of them.

As the wooden gate is being closed, Aveil glances towards her younger sister.

"I still think it's a wolf with wings."

* * *

The Gerudo Desert proves to be more troublesome than Link thought. Almost as if it was sensing the four of them trying to cross, vicious winds begin to pick up, blowing against them.

Not wanting to be blown away, Navi soon retreats to the inside of Link's hat.

Sand soon becomes quite a big problem as well as high winds start picking up the desert sand from the ground and bombarding the two men and the protozoan.

Kratos turns to Link. "Shield your eyes as best as you can!"

Even though Kratos yells, his voice hardly carries over the sound of the sandstorm but Link understands his message.

Noishe is far worse off than everyone else being unable to protect his eyes from the harsh sand blasts. The fenrilra stops walking beside the two and opts to instead walk directly behind Kratos and use the mercenary for partial protection against sand.

Eventually, the sandstorm really begins to hurt their progress, taking the three of them nearly an hour to reach the first trial of the sand.

Holding his hand above his eyes, Link struggles to see what Maali referred to as the 'River of Sand.' In front of them, lies a river of quick sand that seems to be endless to Link's left and right.

Kratos observes the river of quicksand as well and sighs in relief. If it wasn't for the high winds, it would have been very difficult for them to spot the actual river as the winds blow the liquid sand continuously towards them.

"Can't Noishe fly us above the river?"

Kratos turns towards Link and shakes his head before he shouts back. "Even a Fenrilra couldn't fly in these conditions, let alone carry two people on its back while doing so."

Link sighs in defeat but looks up and points to the other side of the river. "What about those crates?"

Noishe glances up at young Hylian. **"What about them, Link?" **

Both Kratos and Noishe watch as Link digs deep into his bag. Eventually, Link smirks and pulls out his Longshot. "I'll use this to get across." Link then gives Kratos a weird look. "Kratos, could you use your wings while Noishe uses his so the two of you can get across the river?"

Kratos raises his eyebrows, intrigued by the idea. He peers down at Noishe who looks fascinated by the idea as well. Kratos then looks back up at Link. "I think we can do that. You go first."

Link nods and he goes to aim his Longshot at the crate sitting on the other side of the river.

_Twang! _

The spring loaded chain pops out and lodges itself in the crate and then pulls the Hero of Time to the other side in seconds.

Link quickly regains his footing on the other side of the River of Sand. He turns back to face Kratos and Noishe and he gives them a thumbs up.

Kratos gives Link a nod before unleashing his blue translucent wings. He gets on the Fenrilra and using four wings instead of two; both of them easily make their way across the river of quicksand and rejoin Link.

* * *

Though the sun seems completely shrouded by the storm, Kratos knows that the day is nearing its end, feeling…oddly tired.

After crossing the River of Sand, Link and Kratos began to notice random flag poles sticking up across the desert. Hours passed by as the three of them went from flagpole to flagpole in zigzag patterns.

As the sun is nearly setting, Kratos finally notices something different coming into view. A short, dark brick structure serves as a small miracle in the storm to the group, who are completely wiped out from crossing the Haunted Wasteland. After a quick examination, Kratos sees an opening in the structure.

Kratos turns around and sees Link, struggling to stand after enduring the vicious sandstorm. "We'll stay inside here for the night. Stay close to me as we go inside, we don't know what could be in here."

Squinting his eyes, Link quickly nods and he and Kratos enter the small shelter and climb down the ladder near the entrance.

* * *

They settle inside almost immediately. Noishe rushes to a secluded area and just shakes most of the sand off of his body causing Link to smile at the sight. Navi soon flies out of Link's hat and she too shakes a bit of sand that had managed to get inside Link's hat during their trek through the sandstorm.

Though Link can't tell, Navi scrunches up her face and spits pieces of sand out of her mouth as she shakes sand off her body. "Ack! Gross! I'm going to tasting that until we get out of here!"

Noishe smirks evilly and walks up to the fairy before shaking his body again, drenching the fairy in more sand, causing Link to break out in laughter.

"NOISHE! I _know_ you did that on purpose!" Fuming, the fairy repeatedly headbutts herself against the fenrilra as Noishe laughs at her as well.

"**Sorry, Mini-Mithos, I couldn't resist!" **

Noishe laughs even harder and Navi turns to Link in sheer rage. "What did he say, Link? What did he say!"

Kratos just looks from afar at the sight but just ignores them before he yawns.

Link blinks and he instantly turns around, away from the Noishe and Navi chaos, and stares at Kratos as if he has just grown an extra head. "Kratos…did you just…yawn?"

Kratos feels just as surprised as Link but he doesn't show it. "Yes, I guess I did."

Link continues to stare at him. "But…you can't get tired. You're an angel; it's one of your special powers, right?"

Kratos rolls his eyes. "I wouldn't call not being able to sleep, a power." Kratos turns to face Link. "My body can get tired, Link. Now…since I'm so tired, I would imagine you must be exhausted. Get some sleep…as will I."

Link frowns at Kratos' indifference to the situation, wondering if he was still feeling disturbed from the Gerudo Fortress earlier in the day.

However, Link just shakes his head and nods. "…Okay, Kratos. Sleep well."

Kratos doesn't respond as he sits against one of the walls in the shelter he is in. He glances up to see Noishe sleeping straight up on his back with Navi sleeping on his stomach, not disturbed by the rise and fall of the protozoan's breathing.

Kratos' eyes then shift over to Link as he too is asleep on the floor of the structure they were in.

With his own eyelids heavy, Kratos soon realizes that he cannot stay up for much longer either and soon, he too is overcome by sleep for the first time in ages.

* * *

Opening his eyes, Kratos finds himself lying on his back, staring at bright and clear blue sky. A gentle breeze blows across his face, carrying with it the pure smell of water.

The auburn-haired man slowly gets off his back in a sitting position on a dirt road.

"Tag! You're it!"

Kratos froze and he slowly takes in the familiar environment surrounding him. Right before his eyes, stands the town of Luin looking like it was never destroyed by Kvar's raid.

"Come back here! I'm going to get you!"

Two children run in continuous circles around Kratos before one decides to take off to another part of town behind him. His angelic hearing still allows him to hear their young, high pitch voices and laughter.

Kratos is left speechless as he gets to his feet and continues to take in the town and the lake view before him. Everything was like it once was and while the children continue to play their games; the adults around them smile and go about their business, whether they were merchants bartering or farmers selling their produce to any and all tourists.

For the first time in a long time, Kratos closes his eyes and slowly takes in a deep breath, feeling truly at piece.

The sound of familiar running water pervades his thoughts and as he turns around to take in Luin's elegant fountain, Kratos eyes widen. On the top of the fountain stands his son's statue, wearing his familiar red shirt, dark pants, and brown suspenders. Kratos admires how the sculpture captured Lloyd's unwavering determination, especially in his eyes.

"He's grown up so much…hasn't he?"

Kratos stops breathing at the sound of soft voice behind him. He turns his body around slowly and finds an unbelievable sight before him.

Anna stands right in front of Kratos, a small grin bringing out her angelic face and her brunette hair blowing in the mild breeze.

Kratos just stands there, unable to move his feet at the sight of his deceased wife, wearing a simple dress colored like the morning sun.

"…Anna?"

Anna nods and she walks towards Kratos. Her eyes soften at the sight of her husband. "You're in pain right now…aren't you?"

As Anna stands directly in front of Kratos, his knees begin to weaken. "H-How are…"

Anna offers Kratos a small smile. "I've always been with you…always. I've just never had the strength I do for these few moments to speak with you and to tell you just how proud I am of you."

Anna gently takes hold of Kratos' head and slowly holds him against her. It was only then, that Kratos' stoic wall finally comes crumbling down, and the once great angel of Cruxis, begins to cry and sob uncontrollably in Anna's warm arms.

Anna simply closes her eyes and keeps holding him against her. "Shh…it's okay. Let it all out."

For the next ten minutes, Kratos keeps on sobbing in Anna's arms; all the tension he had kept on his shoulders for years was finally being lifted.

Kratos then pulls away from her and sniffs, glancing down at his wife. Anna stares back into his red, tear filled eyes and goes to wipe away the streams left on his face.

Anna closes her eyes again and leans her head against Kratos warm chest and slowly begins to rock him back and forth. It was only then that Kratos finally found his voice. "…I'm sorry, Anna. I…I betrayed you."

Anna takes a breath and glances up at Kratos. "You did no such thing, Kratos. You put your own needs in front of Link and protected him, like you protected Lloyd."

Silence overcame the two of them again as they stand in each other's arms. Without looking at Anna, Kratos sighs. "This is a dream…isn't it?"

"Yes…but just because it is a dream, doesn't mean it isn't real."

Kratos glances down at Anna and for the first time, he smiles.

Suddenly, Luin begins to blur, becoming out of focus all around them. Bright light seems to flush out the town as buildings and Lake Sinoa disappears all around them.

"Kratos."

Kratos glances back down to see Anna fading away as well. "Anna!"

She offers him a sad smile. "Martel is calling back for me now... But before I go, I leave you with one final gift." Her hands open up and an array of yellow mana comes forth and surrounds Kratos, before he too disappears completely.

* * *

Kratos eyes quickly open and he jumps up on his feet. The weariness from sleeping for the first time in a while gets to him and his muscles tighten and they try to adjust to being awake.

Kratos glances around and sees Link, Noishe and Navi still sleeping. He turns around and looks up at the entrance of the structure to see the early morning sun penetrate the sandstorm.

A smile comes to his face before he turns around and goes to wake up everyone. "Link, it's morning get up."

Link, however, just rolls onto his side. "I don't wanna train today Kratos…"

Awakened by both Kratos and Link, Navi, flutters a bit before she flies up and settles on Kratos' head. "Morning…what's up Kratos."

Kratos glances up at the fairy before a smirk comes to his face. "Navi…Link doesn't want to get up right now."

"WHAT!"

Noishe instantly springs to his feet, alarmed and the fairy flies down and goes to pull on Link's ear.

This works to get Link up. "Ow! Ow! Ow! I'm up! I'm getting up!" Link's face crinkles and he spits. "Ack! Sand's in my mouth."

Navi sticks her tongue out at him. "Next time don't make fun of me."

"Enough!"

Link, Navi, and Noishe cease their bickering and they turn to Kratos. "Let's be on our way. Something tells me we're almost there."

Kratos begins to climb out first and Link prepares to follow him out before Navi flies next to his ear. "Kratos seems…happier today."

Link nods to the fairy and the group exits out of the inside of the structure.

* * *

The four of them climb out of the structure and Link shields his face with his arms against the sandstorm that was still assaulting them.

Navi flies back under Link's hat and Noishe hides himself behind Kratos.

As they walk around the structure, Link notices stairs on the opposite side where the entrance of the structure was. Kratos notices the stairs as well and he beckons Link to follow them as they slowly climb up on top of the structure.

Once they reach the top, the two men see a stone tablet with writing carved on it.

Link's rushes over to it and bends down to look. "What is this?"

Kratos bends down next to him. "It might be a clue to the second trial of the sands."

Link's eyes widen and he turns to Kratos. "Can you read it?"

Kratos tilts his head at the stone tablet. "The writing has been really worn away by the constant sandstorms but I'll try." Kratos squints his eyes at the writing. "It says that if one wants to cross this Haunted Wasteland, they must follow an inviting ghost."

Link takes a deep breath. "Wonder what that could mean…"

Noishe's fur stands on end and he barks in the direction just above the stone tablet. **"…Impossible." **

Kratos blinks, confused before he turns to stare at the sight in front of them. "…!"

She gives both Kratos and Noishe a wink before Anna starts to float away to the right of them. Kratos watches her float away and glances at Noishe for a second before the two of them dash in the direction she is going with Link still sitting by the stone tablet confused. "What? What do you two see that I don't?"

"Use the Lens of Truth, Link!" Navi yells from inside of Link's hat.

"Oh!" Link jumps to his feet and goes to follow Kratos and Noishe as he reaches inside his pack before pulling out the cracked mirror.

As he runs after the two of them, he glances through the mirror and just sighs in amazement. "Navi, they're following this beautiful spirit. I think she's leading us out of the desert!"

Navi groans in relief. "Thank the Goddesses."

Kratos and Noishe race side by side to catch up to Anna. However the faster they run, the faster Anna seems to float away.

"Anna!"

Anna says nothing to Kratos and Noishe as she continues to lead them to through the storm. As the sandstorm starts to lighten up, Kratos eyes widen as Anna's spirit begins to fade away from the world.

Tears threaten to fall but Kratos doesn't care at this point. "Please! Don't go!"

Anna gives Kratos one last sad smile before her spiritual body completely fades into thin air. Kratos is left aghast and just collapses into the sand, just as the sandstorm lets up.

_"Remember,_ _I'll always be with you…" _

Link finally catches up to Kratos and Noishe and struggles to catch his breath. He glances at Kratos to see him leaning on his knees in the sand. "Kratos…are you going to be okay?"

Link is surprised as Kratos turns towards him with a genuine smile on his face. "I think I will be now, Link, thank you."

**Me: Man, this took a lot out of me.**

**Martel: Please review.**


	43. Spirits United

**Me: Hey, cheapskates! 3DS got a price cut. It's now $169.99 in America. **

**Martel: You realize that many people just don't have the money to get one of those, do you?**

**Me: Yeah...**

**Martel: ...Okay. BigBossofMoss doesn't own ToS or LoZ.**

Chapter 43

Spirits United

With the sandstorm dissipating behind them, Link, Kratos, Navi, and Noishe finally set their eyes forward and stared at the new area that was before them. Rocky cliffs on each side of them begin to take shape and rise from the ground the farther they walk into the area.

Kratos walks steadily and glances around with his hand griping Flameberg as Link tirelessly drags his feet. "Ah, it's so hot. Man, I'm beat."

Kratos stops walking and turns to Link, tilting his head at the young Hylian.

Link glances at Kratos and blinks. "What? What did I do?"

Noishe chuckles behind them and Kratos just smiles at Link. "It's nothing."

Navi hovers off of Link's head flying ahead of the two of them as Noishe laughs even harder. "Holy…Goddess…" The fairy turns around. "Link! Kratos! You gotta see this!"

Both men turn towards the blue fairy and they are overwhelmed when they see gigantic structure just beyond Navi. A cliff at least 500 feet tall stands proudly with what looks like half of a woman carved onto the face of the cliff.

Link rubs some of the sand off of his face and glances at every intricate detail of the carving. The carving is of a Gerudo woman from the looks of it with just her upper body carved into the cliff. She holds both of her hands out in front of her, inferring that maybe she is holding her hands out for someone or something. However, with closer examination of the statue's face, Link sighs when he sees a large cobra looking like it is slithering in between the woman's breasts and resting its head comfortably on top of the woman's head.

Link just feels perplexed by the carving.

Kratos also examines the carving. As he continues to stare at the carving, he begins to feel a twinge of familiarity with the carving, like he knows the woman that was carved here.

"It's nice to see you again, Hero."

Surprised, Link turns around along with Kratos to see Sheik standing right behind them.

Link blinks and feels something…different about Sheik as he just stares at him. "Um…Sheik, why are you looking at me like that?"

Sheik doesn't answer and remains silent. He glances all around him and takes in the sight of the Desert Colossus before turning back to Link. "Past, present, and future. The Master Sword is a ship with which you can sail upstream or downstream through time's river…"

Link unsheathes the Master Sword and glances down at it as Sheik continues to speak.

"The port for that ship is in the Temple of Time." Sheik then looks to both Link and Kratos. "To restore the Desert Colossus and enter the Spirit Temple, one must travel back up and one must travel down time's flow."

Kratos' eyes widen and Link shakes his head, confused. "Sheik, what do you mean?"

However Sheik ignores Link again and brings out his golden harp. "Listen to the Requiem of Spirit. This melody will lead a child back to the desert."

Link sighs and pulls out the Ocarina of Time as Sheik plays a sombering song. Kratos closes his eyes and listens to low melody and feels…strangely at peace listening to the song.

Once the song ends, Link opens his eyes just in time to see Sheik walking away from him. "Sheik, wait!"

A sudden gust of wind picks up, blanketing Link's vision with sand and Sheik takes advantage of this and disappears into the sandstorm.

When the gusts die down, Link rolls his eyes and turns back to Kratos. "I gotta stop thinking that Sheik's going to let me talk to him more than I need to."

Kratos shrugs and glances towards the open entrance of the Spirit Temple. Noishe glances up to him and sees that although Kratos has an emotionless expression on his face, he feels immense apprehension radiating off of the mercenary as he stares at the Desert Colossus.

Navi begins to catch on to this as well and she flies over to Kratos. "Kratos, what's wrong?"

"…It's what Sheik said." Kratos turns around towards Link. "Link; did you understand what Sheik was telling us to do?"

Link is silent as he stares back at Kratos and a small grin comes over his face. "Um…most of it went over my head."

Everyone but Link sighs.

Kratos then looks back up at Link. "Sheik said that to enter the Spirit Temple, one must go upstream and one must go downstream through time's flow. He was referring to the fact that to release the last Sage here, the two of us must separate with one of us going into the past and one of us staying in the future to cleanse the evil that has settled into the temple."

"Oh…I see."

Navi lands on Kratos head and looks down at him. "So what are you worried about?"

Link, Navi, and Noishe all turn towards Kratos with curious eyes. Kratos looks at every one of them and takes a deep breath. "…I'm worried about Link on his own. We don't know anything about this temple or what this it was like seven years ago. Also, the fact that you will be ten again makes me worried even more."

Link just smirks. "Aww, you DO care about me. What about if I stay here and you go to the past?"

Kratos just shakes his head. "I can't do that, Link." Kratos points his finger at Link's blade. "The Master Sword chose you and only you to wield it. This, in turn, means that only you are able to travel 'up and down time's river,' as Sheik so elegantly put it."

Link is quiet for a moment and takes in all the information that Kratos has told him. A determined expression comes to his face and he sheathes the Master Sword before looking up at Kratos. "There's no need to worry, Kratos. I can do this."

Navi then flies off of Kratos head and settles on top of Link's. "And I'll be right there by Link's side through all of this."

Kratos stares at the two of them, thinking to himself before he nods. "Alright. I'm counting on both of you then." Kratos then focuses on Link. "Remember all that I have taught you. Though you will be forced to enter this temple with only the Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield, I have faith in you and your skills."

Link is left speechless. "Kratos…"

A small smile comes to Kratos' face. "Now go! Play the Prelude of Time to return to the Temple of Time and use the Requiem of Spirit to return here seven years in the past."

Link nods. "Right." Link closes his eyes and brings the Ocarina of Time to his lips once more as Kratos and Noishe watch Link play the light and uplifting song before the he and Navi disappear into sparking yellow lights.

Once they are gone, Kratos sighs again and Noishe turns up towards him. **"He'll be fine, Kratos. His journey has also provided him with the skills necessary to become a real 'Hero of Time.'" **

Discouragement fades from Kratos' face and he turns to Noishe and nods. "You're right, Noishe. Now…we have this temple to work through."

"Kratos…wait!"

Kratos and Noishe stop walking and the two of them turn around to see a familiar masked figure standing behind them.

Noishe runs towards Sheik and closes his eyes as Sheik pets his head while Kratos just stares at the man. "Is there something else you wish to tell me?"

Sheik turns away from Kratos and stops petting Noishe. The Sheikah then clenches his hands for a moment before turning back towards Kratos, his eyes blue in color rather than their usual red.

"I need to speak with you…privately."

* * *

A flurry of yellow sparks light up the inside of the Temple of Time before they fade away into the forms of Link and Navi. Link waits a moment to regain his balance before he starts running towards the open Door of Time with Navi flying next to him. "You ready for this, Link?"

Link turns to her and nods as they arrive in front of the Master Sword's pedestal. Link unsheathes the Master Sword and then quickly inserts it back into the stone. Blue light blinds him and it begins to engulf both he and Navi as they are transported back into the past.

The light soon fades away leaving the younger Hero of Time, disoriented. "Ugh…"

Link goes to rub his eyes and waits impatiently for his vision to return. His only comfort is the sound of Navi's sweet voice.

"Come on, Link! We gotta go!"

Navi's _shrilling _voice.

Link opens his eyes, experimentally but quickly closes them when the light of the room seems to rush into him similar to waking up after a good night sleep. "Goddesses, give me a minute, Navi!"

"Sorry."

"Mmm…" Link's vision slowly starts to come back at him and he is surprised for a split second when he sees his hands so tiny again as he rubs his eyes.

Looking down at himself, Link's ten year old body feels so…foreign to him now. Navi flies around Link as he continues to look at himself. "Hey, Princess! Are you done admiring yourself now?"

Link stares at her, surprised. "What's up with you, Navi?"

Navi floats there, quiet before shaking her head. "…Nothing, let's just go back to the Spirit Temple."

Link stares at her, confused by her bad attitude but shrugs it off. Link then reaches into his pack for the Ocarina of Time and plays the Requiem of Spirit. Both he and Navi transform into garnet colored light and fly off towards the Desert Colossus.

* * *

_Boom!_

Boulders crumbled away revealing the entrance to a cave for Sheik, Noishe, and Kratos. As the three of them walk inside, Kratos pauses for a moment to take in the almost mana-like magical energy of cave.

The cave eventually opens up into large underground cavern revealing that it is another Great Fairy Fountain. As the seemingly endless water flows all around them, Sheik turns around towards Kratos. "I apologize for the setting but it is of great importance that my presence is not felt by the Dark Lord, Ganondorf."

Noishe sits down next to Kratos as he stares back at Sheik. "…And why is that?"

Though Kratos does not see it, he feels Sheik giving him a small grin. "I think you know, Kratos Aurion."

Kratos blinks as Sheik's voice is suddenly raised a few octaves.

The Sheikah reaches up and removes the tightly wrapped cowl from around his head. Blond hair suddenly flows out like the pure water of the fountain and reveals the pale but adult face of Princess Zelda.

Her cheeks redden as Kratos stares silently at her and despite revealing her identity to the angel; Zelda half-heartily attempts to use her hands to hide her face.

Noishe tilts his head and whines before walking forward. The protozoan walks next to the Princess and lovingly nuzzles his face against her left leg. A smile comes to Zelda's face and she goes back to petting Noishe's head as he wags his tail in excitement.

"You've…grown up."

Zelda glances up at Kratos and says nothing as she continues to pet the Fenrilra's head. Kratos blinks, and studies the young woman. The look in her blue eyes tells him that despite everything she has probably gone through, her ten year old self lives on. Kratos glances up at her. "Why have you revealed your identity to me and not Link, Princess?"

Annoyance comes to Zelda's face and her eyes sharpen themselves towards Kratos. "Please, call me Zelda. I've never liked being called a Princess. I'm sure you don't like being called, _Seraph _now, do you?"

Kratos' body tenses up and he narrows his eyes at her.

This elicits a small laugh from Zelda. But she stares down at Noishe and sighs. "Do you remember what I said to you when you and Link left my castle?"

Seeing as Zelda was simply shrugging off his true identity, Kratos relaxes. "Yes, you told me to watch over Link…and to always protect him."

A few tears start to run down Zelda's face as she turns towards Kratos. "I called you here to thank you, Kratos. I've always believed you and Link would return to us, even in the toughest of times. And now…with one more Sage waiting to be saved…I just…I can hardly believe that Ganondorf's reign will soon end." Zelda suddenly sprints forward and just wraps her arms around him.

Kratos is left speechless as the young girl hugs him. Behind her, he sees Noishe smirking but Kratos ignores him as he returns Zelda's hug. "You're welcome, Zelda." Kratos lets go of the girl and gives her a curious look. "But I have to ask…how do you know 'the truth' about me?"

As Zelda wipes away her tears, Kratos sees a sly smile come to the Princess' face.

"Let's just say a girl has her ways…"

* * *

The flurry of garnet light flies quickly past the Haunted Wasteland and lands in the middle of the crescent moon cliff area, right in front of the Desert Colossus.

Link appears in the middle of the hot sun and waits a moment to regain his bearings. Navi flies off of his head and flies off to the right, strangely drawn to a seemingly bare cliff wall.

Link takes a deep breath. "Alright, let's get going Navi…Navi?" Link turns around and finds her floating near one of the walls.

Navi inspects all around the cliff wall before turning back to Link. "Link! I think there's a Great Fairy's Fountain over here."

Link rolls his eyes and mumbles to himself. "…Oh great."

"What was that?"

Link gives her an innocent smile before pulling out a bomb. "Nothing."

The ten year old Hero of Time throws the bomb at the wall and it explodes, revealing the entrance to a cave.

* * *

After saying their good-byes to Zelda, Kratos and Noishe enter the Spirit Temple each of them marveling at the architecture of the building.

Noishe lets out a loud whine. **"FINALLY! I finally get to go on one of these, 'evil cleansing temple missions you and Link do all the time.'"**

Kratos glances down at his friend and gives him a weird look. "You're really making it out to be far more interesting than it really is."

Noishe stretches his paws and his wings as he replies back to Kratos. **"You try lying around for seven years and then some. Trust me; this will be a WHOLE lot more interesting than what I've been doing."**

The two of them come to a fork in the path. The left path is a dead end with a small crawlspace at the bottom of the floor, far too small for both Kratos and Noishe and the right path is blocked by a huge stone block.

Kratos walks over to the block as Noishe glances between the two choices they have. **"Looks like we're literally caught between a rock and a hard place."**

Kratos ignores him and feels around the edges of the block up and down. "Hmm…"

Noishe glances over to Kratos as he walks back in front of the block. "Did you find something?"

Kratos shakes his head. "No…" He then puts his hands up against the block and using all of the strength afforded to him by his Cruxis Crystal, pushes the block forward until it drops down, revealing the path for the two of them to take.

Noishe's ears stand up, surprised. **"Well that was convenient."**

Kratos brushes off his hands and turns around towards the protozoan. "Come on."

Noishe runs up to Kratos and the two of them proceed through the temple.

* * *

Link comes out of the Great Fairy's Fountain, cringing as he holds the blue crystal containing Nayru's Love in his hand. Annoyed, Link turns to Navi. "Navi, you're a fairy, right? Can't you just ask these Great Fairies to put some damn cloths on?"

The color around the fairy changes to a pale pink as Navi blushes. "It's not like I've tried. But all Great Fairies rule over the rest of the fairies in Hyrule." A smile comes to Navi's face. "Well…except for Kratos."

Link throws his head back, laughing as the two of them approach the entrance of the Spirit Temple. Navi lands on top of Link's head as he puts the blue crystal into his pack. Link takes a deep breath before he walks inside of the Temple.

Once Link is inside, both he and Navi here someone…mumbling to themselves.

"Hide, Link." Navi whispers. Link nods and he bends on his knees and hugs one of the walls to the left.

"_...How do I get through here…dammit." _

The sound of a feminine voice fills Link's ears. Curiosity gets the better of him as he scoots his body closer and closer towards the source of the voice. Slowly but surely, the person came into view.

Link watches as a young Gerudo woman paces back and forth beside a small crawlspace in the wall muttering to herself. Her Gerudo outfit is colored in a light pink color and she has her hair tied in a ponytail with what looks like a hair tie with a large ruby on it.

_Shatter._

Link's body tenses up as he accidently steps on a broken piece of a pot. The woman instantly looks towards Link and puts her hands on her scimitars. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Link takes a step back. "I…well…"

Navi suddenly flies between the two of them. "This is Link! He's a member of the Gerudos too!"

Link's eyes widen and he turns towards Navi and whispers. "What are you doing?"

The Gerudo woman narrows her eyes at the two of them. "You take me for a fool. Only women are a part of our tribe. Who would make you a member of our tribe?"

"Aveil." Navi mutters.

Anger vanishes from her face and the Gerudo woman blinks, confused. "I need to speak with Aveil the next time I see her…" The Gerudo says to herself before looking back at Link. "What are you doing here, boy?"

Link is silent for a moment. He holds his tongue, not wanting to tell her about the Sages or cleansing the temple from Ganondorf's evil forces.

Navi flutters over to Link's ear. "Say something!"

Link stutters and tries to find his voice. "…I-um…nothing really."

Navi facepalms.

A smile comes to the Gerudo woman's face. "Really? Good, cause I need you." The woman stops suddenly and a serious expression comes to her face. "Wait a minute…If you truly are a part of my tribe, which I doubt by the way, you wouldn't happen to be one of Ganondorf's followers, would you?"

A sly smirk comes to Link's face. "So what if I am?"

The woman chuckles at Link's comment. "What am I saying? You're what, ten…maybe eleven years old. There's no way you'd be one of his followers. But you've got some serious guts, kid." The woman extends her hand towards Link. "I'm Nabooru, the leader of the Gerudos."

Surprise comes to Link and Navi's faces. "You're Nabooru?"

Nabooru nods. "Yes. I see that you've heard of me. And you are?"

Link goes and shakes her hand. "Link."

Nabooru nods. "Link…okay. Alright, I need your help, Link. Beyond this crawlspace, somewhere in the temple is a treasure called the 'Silver Gauntlets.'" Nabooru points her finger behind Link, towards a large stone block behind him. "I need them to push this block out of the way so that I can spy on Ganondorf and his followers."

Link raises his eyebrows. "Spy? But…I thought he was your leader, isn't he?"

Nabooru clenches her fists and stares at Link with a venomous look in her eyes. "That man will _never _be my leader! Darkness seems to surround him and I know he's planning something awful for the rest of Hyrule. He's already killed twelve people."

Shock filled Navi's face. "That's horrible!"

Nabooru nods. "Yes. That's why I need you, Link. I'm too big to crawl through here but it looks like you can fit in there just fine. If you can do this…I'll do something _nice _for you."

As Nabooru stares at Link, he just laughs nervously and slowly nods. "Sure. Just…leave it to me."

Nabooru beams at him and claps her hands. "Great. Then get going. I'll be waiting back here when you get them."

Navi settles back onto Link's head as he takes a deep breath and starts crawling through the small space. As he crawls through the space, his mind races, thinking what Nabooru meant when she promised something…_nice_."

**Martel: Mossy...what is she planning? **

**Me: Believe it or not, this is canon and-wait, what?**

**Martel: ^ ^ **

**Me: Whatever, review. Man, FF5's goofiness really influenced this chapter.**


	44. Amulet of Spirit

**Me: *yawns* **

**Martel: *glares at me* **

**Me: What? I've only been gone for…18 months.**

**Martel: Do tell, why were you gone all this time?**

**Me: Let's see…last year of college, a job, MGS2, Skyward Sword, Minecraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Tekkit, Pokémon, graduation, looking for work, and a whole bunch of emotional stress. **

**Martel: …Oh.**

**Me: Don't worry about it. I want to finish this story. We're close and I'm sure a lot of people want an ending to it. **

**Martel: BigBossofMoss doesn't own ToS or LoZ.**

**Me: I'm also looking forward to Sim City…**

**Martel: This story will never get done!**

Chapter 44

Amulet of Spirit

Noishe sniffs around on the sandy ground, slowly walking forward. The protozoan glances up to see the abandoned hallways of the Spirit Temple and whines. **"Is it really **_**this **_**boring going through these temples, Kratos?"**

Kratos takes in the sights of the empty hallway the two of them are in before turning back to Noishe. "No. That's what has me on edge. It is too quiet here—"

_Crack!_

Kratos instinctively reaches for his sword while the fur on Noishe's back stands straight up. The two of them wait for a couple of minutes for something to occur.

But nothing happens.

Noishe blinks. **"Okay, this is freaking me out. Even you told me that monsters were in the previous temples. What's going on here?"**

Kratos was thinking the same thing at the moment. He looks down to see what he stepped on. Hidden by layers of sand, looks like the remnants of an old pot.

"Hmm…" Kratos carefully picks up bits and pieces of the clay pot. His eyes light up as he picks up what looks like garnet amulet.

Noishe stares as Kratos looks over the gemstone. **"What is it, Kratos?"**

Suddenly the garnet amulet starts shining. Both Kratos and Noishe gaze at the stone, waiting for anything good or bad to happen.

* * *

"Ugh! Does this tunnel ever end?"

Link squirms his way through the small crawl space that Nabooru could not fit through. He watches Navi float right by his face, giving him enough light to see in front of him. Over the course of the next ten minutes, Link takes several left and right turns as moves forward.

Over the few minutes, Navi settles on top of Link's head. Her ears then perk up. "I hear someone moving. We might be close to finding an exit!"

The darkness starts to dissipate and soon Link finds an exit to the tunnel. Outside appears to be long hallway carved with old writing and with many paintings of old Gerudo warriors.

Before Link crawls up, Navi flies in front of his face and whispers. "Wait! Someone is coming!"

Link nods and listens as he hears a pair of footsteps coming from the left-hand side of the hallway.

"_So when does the meeting begin? I'm itching to leave this place already."_

Link blinks. "Navi, that doesn't sound like a Gerudo."

"_Shut up! All of us want to raise havoc on that Hylian castle. You don't need to complain out loud about it."_

Link holds his breath as he watches a pair of moblins walk right past him, heading towards the right of the hallway. He peeks his head out of the hole in the wall and continues to watch them.

"_But what can Lord Ganondorf possibly say to us now that hasn't been said?"_

The two moblins turn left, out of Link's field of vision.

"_Who knows? Probably has to do with those traitors we captured. Maybe he wants to make an example of them before we attack Hyrule. I'd love to have more of these things."_ The moblin throws a garnet colored amulet in the air before catching it again.

Link freezes on the spot. They haven't attacked Hyrule Castle at this point in time.

Link looks for more moblin soldiers before crawling out of the hole in the wall. Quietly, he moves as fast as he can towards the two moblins that walked past him.

Navi then flies in front of his face. "Link, think about what you're doing!"

Link ignores his fairy and turns the corner to find the two moblins waiting for him. He takes a step back, remembering how big these things were when he was an adult.

The moblin on the left smirks. "Guess you did smell a Hylian before, Boargo."

Boargo licks his lips. "I'll get to satisfy my taste for blood after all."

Link narrows his eyes at the two of them before unsheathing the Kokiri sword. "Just try it you filthy looking pig!"

The moblin on the left laughs. "Looks like this one has a bit of bark to it. Go on, have at him, Boargo."

Boargo cracks his knuckles and readies his spear. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Before Boargo has a chance to attack, Link rolls to the right, going behind Boargo and slices him in the back. Boargo cries out in pain as Link lands on his feet. The other moblin can only watch in shock as a small child overpowers someone three times his size.

"AHHH! You little bast—"

_Slice!_

Boargo's head comes clean off his body and his large form falls backward, dead.

The other moblin boils with rage at the sight of his dead friend. Gripping his spear, he charges straight towards the Hero of Time.

Link shields the attack and swings his sword horizontally at the moblin's legs.

_Slice! _

"Ah!" The moblin cries in pain but holds his stance despite a severe cut in his left leg. The moblin takes hold of his spear and stabs at Link.

_Swoosh!_

Link dodges the strike and brings his sword down against the extended head of the moblin's spear.

_Crack!_

The iron spearhead falls to the ground broken. The moblin is still for a moment, giving Link all the time he needs. Link rolls forward towards the moblin and attacks.

_Stab!_

The moblin coughs, blood seeping from his mouth as he looks down at the small sword in his stomach. Link's face is emotionless as he pulls the sword out and watches the moblin fall to the ground, right next to his friend.

Navi flies towards him, visibly irate. "Link! Someone could have heard this!"

The garnet amulet in the dead moblin's hand glows.

Link turns to his fairy. "There's no time for that now, Navi. We have an opportunity to save the people of Hyrule before Ganondorf attacks the castle. We have to hurry!"

Navi gets in Link's face. "LINK! Think about what you're doing? Sheik warned you about the danger of time travel. By changing the future that drastically, we don't know what would happen."

"_She's right, Link. It is dangerous in engage in activities in which you cannot predict the outcome."_

Both Link and Navi jumped in shock. They turned their attention towards the garnet amulet gripped in the hand of the dead moblin where Kratos' voice was heard.

* * *

Noishe's jaw dropped. **"Are you…speaking to Link through that jewel?"**

Kratos didn't acknowledge him. Noishe walked closer to the angel as he stared into the garnet amulet.

He heard Link sigh in annoyance through it. _"Kratos, you would condemn the people lost in the Castle Town raid to death…again?"_

No emotion emanates from Kratos' eyes. His response is as stone cold as the look in his eyes. "Yes, Link. Fighting Ganondorf now, you cannot win. Even in my angelic form, I could not beat him. Our best chance for victory is for you to fight him as an adult with the Master Sword."

A few moments of silence pass by before Kratos and Noishe hear a response from Link. "…Fine. I won't fight Ganondorf. But I still have one more question that I need you to answer."

Kratos breathes a sigh of relief. "What is it?"

"How the hell are you talking to me?!"

Noishe smirks. **"Language, Link. You're still a child."**

* * *

Link smacks his forehead in annoyance before he hears Kratos again. _"I heard the sound of a battle before. Tell me, Link…is my voice coming from some kind of gem stone similar to the amulets that were used to open the Door of Time?"_

Link takes his time to inspect the garnet jewel in his hands. Kratos is right. The jewel does look like it could have been one of the keys to the Temple of Time.

"_Link?"_

Link snaps back to his senses. "…Yeah, Kratos. It's just like you described."

"_Hmm…I am talking through the same stone as you are. Where did you find it?"_

Link looks back to the mess he made near him. Seeing that he's still standing there, Link looks for a good place to hide in case he's discovered while he talks to Kratos. "I killed a couple of moblins and one of them dropped it. From what I heard, I think the jewel belonged to a Gerudo traitor they captured…"

Link's heart stops as he remembers the young Gerudo he met just a little while ago. Nabooru! She's in danger! He continues towards the meeting room disregarding Kratos' earlier order. "I have to go, Kratos. I have to save the warriors Ganondorf captured. There's no telling what he's going to do to them!"

Link takes off down the hallway as he hears Kratos' booming voice. _"LINK! WHAT DID I JUST SAY!? YOU __**CANNOT **__FIGHT GANONDORF NOW! YOU WILL DIE AND ALL OF OUR HARD WORK WILL BE FOR NOTHING!"_

A cold sweat goes down Link's back. He has never heard Kratos so angry before. He is usually so calm and composed. A witty idea comes to the young boy's mind. He smiles and replies back to the angry angel. "I'm not going to fight him Kratos. I'm just going to…survey their meeting. If I see a chance to rescue the captured Gerudos, I'm taking it."

The hallway begins to open up and Link slows down and takes a look at what appears to be the center most room of the entire Spirit Temple. A large stone statue of what looks like a Gerudo warrior with her hands out takes up most of the back room while many kinds of monsters move around on the floor.

Link looks around himself, wary that he is somewhat in the open. Fortunately for him and Navi, a makeshift supply room is just to his left and Link takes this opportunity to hide inside.

He hunkers down between various crates of food stuffs and barrels of what most likely appears to be rum or ale. Navi settles on his head once again as Link talks into the stone. "Kratos, I reached a huge room with a big statue in the back of it. It's crawling with Ganondorf's men."

"_Stay there until I say. If you are so intent on saving those Gerudos, we will at least formulate a plan of some sort once I get to that room myself."_

Link glances up to Navi, confused. "But…aren't you in the future? What can you possibly do?"

"_**Kratos! I think I found it."**_

* * *

Kratos looks to his left and sees Noishe's tail wagging. He walks towards him and sees the giant room Link described to him.

But everything he sees is run down with the floor and tables covered in sand. The place looks like it has not been used since Ganondorf's meeting seven years ago.

The meeting that Link is spying on at this very moment.

Kratos walks into the large room and glances around, seeing old documents scattered around on the tables and floor. Kratos speaks into the amulet. "Link, what are they doing down there at the moment?"

"_Um…nothing yet. Most of them are just finding their seats while a few more important looking guys are organizing large pieces of parchment."_

Kratos glances around the table and finds some of the remaining pieces of parchment. Most of them are maps of the different regions of Hyrule: Kokiri Forest, Death Mountain, and Zora's Domain to name a few.

Noishe sniffs around the area, making sure that nothing in the room is booby trapped. Kratos addresses Link. "I found that most of these are maps of the areas Ganondorf previously attacked. Killing the Deku Tree, blocking off the Dodongo Cavern, and sickening that whale—"

Suddenly something different from parchment catches Kratos' eye. Kratos walks over to one of the tables in the room and picks up a very old diary.

Carefully, the angel flips through some of the pages. "Hmm…"

Noishe walks over to him as Kratos skims through the old looking diary.

"_Did you find something Kratos?"_

Kratos continues to skim the diary until he comes to the last written page. His eyes widen as he closes the diary and pockets it. "Link…I may have found out how Ganondorf discovered how to reach the Triforce."

Kratos looks down at the cover of the old diary to find a faint Triforce emblem in the middle of the book. "The man came across someone's diary. Someone who looks like they could have had connections to the royal family based on the information I've read."

"_Hold on, Kratos. I…I see him." _

Noishe glances up at Kratos and feels his friend's heartbeat pick up.

* * *

The two of them open the door to the storage room. A chill goes down Link's spine as he and Navi watch the middle of the ceiling in the giant room descend slowly. They feel dark power pour out as the future King of Evil comes into the room.

Ganondorf's minions cheer at his entrance of the room. Link watches as staphos, moblins, and other kinds of monsters jump up and down.

Ganondorf himself smiles and jumps off the descending platform. He falls down to the ground as slow as a feather.

"Listen to me, my faithful servants! We are about to take control of this country. Today, we march towards the gates of Hyrule Castle and we will rape and pillar their people. I will personally decimate that foolish King and his precious daughter!"

The crowd of monsters cheer as Link whispers into the amulet. "Can you hear him, Kratos?"

"_Yes, yes I can, Link. Listen to me very carefully: is Ganondorf holding a small brown diary in his hands?"_

Link studies the large man and notices a book similar to what Kratos described. "Yes!"

A moblin near Link hears him and gets up from his seat. The color drains from his face as he quickly closes the door to the storage room and hides behind one of the food crates.

"_Link, what is—"_

Link attempts to quiet Kratos' voice by taking his cap and wrapping it around the amulet to muffle him.

The door to the storage room opens. Link heart speeds up uncontrollably as the moblin in question comes closer and closer to him. The moblin glances around the room and walks in front of the food crate Link is hiding behind.

Link closes his eyes.

"Shoat, what are you doin?!"

The moblin Shoat turns around to see another moblin pissed off at him. "I thought I heard somethin. Came to look around."

The other moblin was not amused. "Came to look around? You idiot. Lord Ganondorf is giving an important speech and you decide to ignore him?" The other moblin's eyes wander to one of the many booze barrels in the room. "Make yourself useful and get a barrel of ale, will ya!"

Link hears the other moblin leave while Shoat walks away from him, lifts the giant barrel, and leaves the room as well. Link lets out a sigh of relief.

"_Link! Are you alright!?" _

Link blinks and unravels his cap from the amulet. "Yeah, Kratos. I almost got caught but I'm alright."

"_Good…" _Link hears him sigh before he continues. _"Continue listening to Ganondorf, Link. He may have important information to say."_

Link nods before getting out of his hiding space. He nudges the door open again and continues to listen to the speech.

"You all may be wondering HOW we will rule this country and eventually the world? Well, I'll tell you. During the War of Unification, the Queen of Hyrule went missing five years ago and was never found again."

A sinister smile appeared on Ganondorf's face. "What if I were to tell you that _I_ found her?"

Link's blood went cold.

"Near the cliff sides of my Fortress, she was ambushed by a group of desperate bandits. The Queen was attacked by the very subjects she was trying to protect in the their war. Her only guard laid dead nearby with her _highness _near death as well."

Ganondorf's men laughed with the same sadist attitude as their leader before he continued. "Mistaking me for one of her honest subjects, she told me the legend of the Triforce and its limitless power to grant any wish. Suddenly it made perfect sense to me why the Royal Family eventually won the Unification War. They had the power of the Goddesses on their side."

The crowd booed loudly at this.

Link gritted his teeth as Ganondorf continued. "The Queen of Hyrule gave me the proof of this legend and how to obtain the Triforce through this diary!" Ganondorf held the diary up high as his minions cheer.

Ganondorf then starts laughing manically. "Of course, I saw that our dear Queen is bleeding profusely and as the gentleman I am, I took it upon myself to end her suffering…" Ganondorf unsheathes his sword. "…by slitting her throat!"

He makes a similar motion as Link fights back the lump in his throat. His legs start trembling and he stumbles backward.

"_Link! You have heard enough. Get out of there and return to the future at once!" _

Link doesn't answer as Navi flies next to him and nuzzles against his cheek. The boy is still in a state of disbelief after hearing that Ganondorf murdered Zelda's mother.

Navi flies back a bit. "Link, we need to go. It's not safe here."

Link looks up at her and blinks. "We're not done yet. I still have a job to do."

With that declaration, Link gets up and exits the storage room. He turns away from the meeting room and goes down the hallway with Navi trailing behind him.

"Link! What are you doing!"

The young Hero of Time glances back at his fairy. "I still need to save the captured Gerudos. Nabooru's people are in grave danger.

Link takes a new path going down an unfamiliar hallway.

"_You will do NO such thing. You need to come back in time, NOW!" _

Link takes a right turn and comes to a dead end with a giant block at the end of the hallway.

"_Link! Are you listening to me!"_

Link rubs his temples, very annoyed. He turns to his left to see a clay pot and a smirk comes to the boy's face. "Sorry, Kratos, I can't hear you. The connection must be fading." He takes the amulet he and places it in the clay pot and walks away.

"_Link! Link! Link!"_

Link closes his eyes and is satisfied once he is out of earshot of Kratos' voice. Navi flies up to him. "Link, I thought we had a plan with Kratos?"

The two of them are silent before Navi sighs and goes to sit on his head, defeated. "…He was getting on my nerves too."

* * *

Noishe stares at Kratos' back. **"I don't think he's coming back."**

Kratos narrows his eyes and the garnet amulet shatters under the force of his angelic grip. Noishe is taken aback as Kratos walks past him.

The red-headed angel glances back at the protozoan. "Let's keep moving. I still feel an evil presence in this Temple. It's not as empty as it looks. I just hope Link returns to us safely."

Noishe nods slowly. **"Y-yeah…"**

As Kratos and Noishe exit the main room, two dark souls watch from afar. An old, white-haired lady lets out a high pitch giggle. "It seems we have visitors, Koume."

The other old lady with bright red hair giggles just as loud. "Yes, Kotake. A mutt with wings and very handsome swordsman."

_Bam!_

Kotake takes her broomstick and whacks her sister on the head with it. "Get your mind out of the gutter! He has learned too much and he must be…dealt with."

Koume rubs her head before a rotten smile comes to her face. "Let's send…_her_. Our puppet hasn't been able to do much for years. It's only fair that she destroys him."

Both witches laugh manically as a giant armored soldier wielding an ax as long as any grown man comes to life.

**Me: This is a good place to stop. I thank any of my old readers for sticking with me all this time. **

**Martel: Please review.  
**


	45. Ripples in Time's River

**Martel: It's been over a month! Don't tell me you were distracted by Sim City?**

**Me: Of course not. I would never waste you or my readers time over that lame excuse. **

**Martel: Good. So...what kept you?**

**Me: Fire Emblem Awakening. That game is pretty much the best game for the 3DS at the moment. **

**Martel: *facepalms* Just...read the chapter. BigBossofMoss doesn't own OoT or LoZ. **

Chapter 45

Ripples in Time's River

Trailing behind the young Hero of Time, Navi keeps a look out as the two of them quickly move through the hallways of the Spirit Temple. Every other minute, Navi turns around to make sure that they are not spotted.

The fairy turns back to Link. "Do you have any idea where you're going?"

Link stops and turns around. "Of course I do! I…uh…" Link turns forward and sees a large door at the end of a hallway. Link smiles. "We're going in there!"

Link briskly walks towards the door, looking all around himself to make sure no one is following him. Navi sighs and follows in after him.

* * *

Noishe's ears twitch and he turns around. **"Did…did you hear that?"**

Kratos turns around as well. "It's faint...what is it?"

Noishe closes his eyes. **"Two voices. It is really faint but I believe they're somewhere in the Temple."** Noishe glances up at Kratos. **"From what I heard, they know why we're here and they're sending something after us."**

Suddenly there is a massive fluctuation in the mana levels around them. Kratos' eyes widen and he unsheathes his sword. Kratos then turns to Noishe. "Get ready. Someone…or something is coming for us.

_Boom!_

The wall of the hallway explodes as shards of rock fly everywhere sending Kratos and Noishe off their feet. Two giant figures loom over them each bearing gigantic battle axes.

_Swoosh! Boom! _

Noishe jumps back, breathing heavily. Kratos dashes forward, sword in hand.

_Slash! Slice!_

One of the figures recoils back a bit from the fiery slashes against its dark armor. The other figure rushes in front of his comrade, protecting him from Kratos.

Kratos stands still, eyeing the large monster.

The guarding figure tightens his grip on his large ax and rushes forward towards the angel.

* * *

Link quickly shuts the door behind him and gets a good look of the room he's in. Many weapons hang from the walls along with other ornate treasures of the Gerudo people. A large desk sits in the center of the room with what appears to a golden chair.

Link blinks. "This must be Ganondorf's place of study." He walks towards the desk and glances at the many pieces of parchment on top of it.

"Link! Take a look at these."

Link turns around to find Navi floating above the door. His face lights up as he sees the Silver Gauntlets Nabooru told him to find. "Wow! This is it. Let me just…" Link reaches out to take the Silver Gauntlets. But something quickly becomes apparent to him.

He's too short to reach them.

Navi starts giggling as Link jumps up and down in vain to reach the gauntlets. After a minute, Navi decides to take mercy on the boy. She rams herself into the plaque a couple of times before the Silver Gauntlets fall to the floor.

The fairy flies down as Link puts the gauntlets into his pouch. Link narrows his eyes. "I don't want to hear you say…_anything_."

Navi smiles. "Fine, fine."

"_Aaaaah! Stop! Where are you taking me?!"_

Link and Navi hear a woman screaming outside. The two of them run over to the lone window in the study. Outside, two figures circle around a third who is trapped in a blob of dark energy.

Navi shudders. "That voice…it's Nabooru!"

Link balls up his fists. "We have to do something! We—"

But it's too late. The purple blob of dark energy swallows up Nabooru and she is nowhere to be seen. The only thing Link and Navi can hear is the cackling of those two figures before they retreat back into the Colossus.

Link lets out a breath and looks down at the floor. "I…couldn't save her."

Navi flies down to Link. "There was nothing you could have done. Come on, let's go back to the future."

"No."

Navi sighs. "Link, we can't stay here. Ganondorf can come in through that door at any moment and if he does, he'll lock us up or even kill—"

"Wait!" Link gets off the ground and runs over to Ganondorf's desk.

Navi looks at him, confused. "What?"

Link looks over each piece of parchment until his eyes light up in excitement. "I found where they're keeping the other Gerudo prisoners." Link runs over to Navi and shows her schematic that details the construction of a dungeon.

Link points at the schematic. "This has got to be the place the Gerudos are being held. Since they didn't kill them, I'm thinking those witches or something didn't kill Nabooru either. Maybe that dark blog transported her to that part of the Temple."

Navi blinks. "Link…we don't know that to be sure. We can't risk a rescue mission in the lion's den."

Link stares at her. "You don't have to rescue them, Navi…but I'm not running away. I already ran away for seven years. So you can tag along with me…or leave."

Link turns around and opens the door slowly, making sure no one was outside before exiting the room. Navi floats there…at a loss for words.

The fairy sighs. "I'll tag along, Link. For as long as I can…"

Navi flies out of the room to catch up to Link, with her wings drooping.

* * *

_Demon Fang!_

A blue wave of energy rushes forward, hitting one of the dark knights chasing after Kratos and Noishe. The knight hunches forward in pain.

Noishe trembles, watching from afar as Kratos takes on the two armored knights. He gulps as horrible memories come rushing back to him.

"_Mommy? Are you sick?"_

"_Get away from your mother, Lloyd!"_

Noishe gasps and snaps himself out of it as a dark knight runs towards him, preparing to swing his ax.

_Swipe! _

Using his large wings, Noishe quickly jumps backward to avoid the attack. His eyes widen when the second knight comes towards him. Looking around, he sees rubble from the broken walls and realizes the first knight backed him into a corner.

The protozoan closes his eyes as the second black knight raises his ax.

_Lightning Blade!_

The second knight cries out in pain as his stomach is impaled from behind. The heavy armor conducts the lightning from Kratos' attack, making it twice as effective. The knight falls to the ground, dead.

The first knight takes his chance to attack Kratos while Flamberge is still imbedded in the other knight. The knight makes a vertical strike with his ax right down towards the angel's head.

Kratos shifts his eyes to the other knight and using his angelic strength, catches the blade of the large ax in mid-air.

Noishe is speechless as he watches Kratos' hands hold on tight to both sides of the ax blade.

The knight uses all of his strength to push down towards the angel but to no avail. He is outmatched by Kratos' superior strength.

Kratos smirks before twisting the ax head, breaking it off from the base of the weapon. The knight tumbles backwards a bit as yellow runes form around Kratos.

_Grave!_

Pillars of sharp stone stab and impale the knight before his movement ceases and Kratos and Noishe give a small sigh of relief.

* * *

From a room deep in the temple, Koume jumps up and down in anger as the two witches watch Kratos' fight from a crystal ball. "That damn…handsome man! Who knew he was so strong?!"

Kotake rubs her bony chin as she gazes into the crystal ball. "He's no ordinary man to be sure. That was magic he used on that last one."

Koume glances back into the crystal ball. "Yesssss. He would be a difficult one to defeat should we face him head on."

Suddenly Kotakes grins a near toothless smile. "Perhaps we should fight him on a more…mental level?"

Koume starts to jump up and down again. "Spit it out you old hag! What do you mean?"

Kotake turns to her sister. "Let's show the handsome swordsman just WHO he killed."

Koume eyes widen and smiles a nearly identical toothless grin. "Ahhh, how devious, my sister."

* * *

Kratos wipes down his blade. "Well, that's that." He then turns to Noishe. "You're still afraid, aren't you?"

Though the fight is over, Noishe still trembles as he nods his head. Kratos kneels down to his friend. "Noishe, I don't want to be the bad guy here but I can't always look out for you to make sure you're okay. You have to face your fear of monsters now and be done with it."

Kratos gets up. "I thought you wanted to come along for adventure." Noishe glances up at him and Kratos chuckles a bit. "A few monsters shouldn't stop you." This gets Noishe to laugh a bit before all emotion drains from his face.

Confused, Kratos turns around to see the armor of the dark knights melt into dark smoke and evaporate in front of them. Left behind are the bodies that were inside the armor…dead Gerudo warriors.

A cackling echoes through the temple. "How does it feel, swordsman? You just murdered those innocent ladies. Well…not TOTALLY innocent—OW!"

"Shut up, Koume!"

Noishe blinks. **"What did she mean?"** Noishe watches as Kratos walks up to the dead Gerudo women.

"Noishe, didn't Link say over that he was going to rescue those Gerudo women Ganondorf captured before leaving?"

Noishe nods. **"Yeah, but if these women were the ones he said he'd rescue, does that mean that Link failed?"** Noishe's eyes widened. **"Kratos! If Link failed, then he himself was either captured or…"**

"…killed."

* * *

Link races down one of the hallways of the temple. As the young Hero of Time runs, he holds out a map of the temple leading him to the dungeon with Navi yelling out the directions.

"Turn right here!"

Making a sharp turn, Link goes around the corner, hardly losing any speed. Navi puts her hand on her chin as she determines where they are.

"Okay, it should be on your next left. That leads to a hallway with a lone set of stairs at the end."

Link nods and as he turns left, he stops dead in his tracks. His heart skips a beat as the two witches who captured Nabooru stare at him with just as much surprise.

The witch with the fire-like hair cackles. "Look what we have here, Kotake, another intruder."

The other witch with the ice-like hair strokes her chin. "Thieves are getting younger these days it seems." Kotake flies right in Link's face, surprising Link and causing him to nearly lose his balance.

The witch's eyes drift to the sword on his back. Her eyes flash before her an evil grin forms on her face. "Boy! Why are you here?"

Link's nerves get the best of him. He nearly gags with the old, decrypted woman so near his face. "…Um…uh…just taking a stroll to meet my friend, Ganondorf."

Navi facepalms.

Koume bursts out laughing. "Do you take us for fools, young child?! I'm 380 years old so I wasn't born yesterday."

Kotake turns around to face her sister. "Don't lie, Koume! You're 393 years old, the same age as me!"

"Don't call me a liar, you old hag!"

"You…you ugly, fat…"

Link and Navi just watch the old witches fight. Seeing his opportunity, Link takes off, past the witches.

Koume's eyes flare up and her right hand glows a bright orange light. "Oh no you don't!" A beam of fire erupts from her hand.

Link turns back and pulls out a bright shield. The shield reflects the beam of fire and sends it back towards Kotake.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Unable to dodge in time, the beam hits Kotake in her left eye, effectively searing it and burning the surrounding flesh.

Navi flies ahead down the stairs. "Run, Link!"

Link nods and puts the mirror-like shield on his back and goes down to the dungeon.

* * *

Kratos and Noishe continue deeper into the temple, looking for the source of those dark knights. After traveling for a while, Noishe looks up to Kratos. **"How much farther, Kratos?"**

Kratos, his eyes closed, attempts to locate those two shrilly voices from earlier. "Not long. I can hear them more clearly now. They're this—"

"_Aaaaaahhhhhhh!"_

Kratos covers his ears while Noishe lies down on the ground to cover his large ears with his paws. The protozoan looks up at the ceiling of the room they're in. "That sounded like one of them. She sounded like someone cut off one of her limbs or something?"

The pain from his sensitive angelic hearing causes Kratos to shut his eyes in a vain attempt to numb the pain. After a minute or so, he looks up at the ceiling too. "You're on the right track, Noishe. But it's weird…no one else is up there with them."

Suddenly the middle of the ceiling parts ways. It lowers down towards Kratos and Noishe. Standing on the platform is another dark knight.

Kratos unsheathes his sword and stands ready to fight the knight. Kratos feels the knight glare down at him.

The knight attempts to reach his weapon and finds nothing. He looks all around himself before looking back to Kratos. The knight snaps his fingers and a black sword appears in his hand.

Kratos doesn't wait this time. He unleashes his wings and flies right towards the foe, sword in hand.

The knight swings his sword straight down as Kratos approaches him. Kratos rolls in mid-air to the left and lands to the right side of the knight.

_Swoosh!_

Kratos goes to stab but misses as the knight jumps straight up, out of the way. The knight points his large sword straight down in a downward thrust, aiming at the angel.

_Crash! _

Kratos dodges backward and hovers in the air. He watches as the platform the knight made his entrance on, crumbles into pieces and falls to ground level.

Noishe eyes widen and he takes to the air to flies away from the falling debris.

Kratos keeps his eyes on the pile of debris on the ground, searching for the body of dark knight in the rubble.

_Boom!_

The pile of rocks explodes as the knight emerges out of it. The knight simply stares at Kratos from the ground. The knight tilts his head to the side and reaches to his face to pull off its helm.

The knight throws its helm to the ground, revealing the face of the Gerudo, Nabooru. Her eyes glow a solid yellow otherworldliness as she stares at the angel.

Kratos remains unmoved and descends to the ground and allows his wings to dissipate.

Nabooru takes her time to abandon her dark knight armor and her black sword. She unsheathes two scimitars and leaps towards Kratos.

* * *

Link runs as fast as his little legs can carry him. He races past Navi down the steps to the temple dungeon.

The fairy settles on his head. "Where did you find that shield, Link?"

Link continues to run as he answers her. "Same room as the Silver Gauntlets. I didn't want to take a chance with my wooden shield. Plus, this one is very light."

Suddenly Link and Navi hear the two witches scream in unison. _"Intruder in the dungeon! Everyone block off the stairs!"_

Navi uncovers her ears. "Goddesses those witches sound horrible." Navi blinks and points in front of them. "There they are!"

Link turns around to see one large cage with two Gerudos and Nabooru.

Nabooru is taken aback by the sight of Link and gets up to greet him. "Kid? What are you doing here?"

"_Koume! Kotake! What is going on down here!?"_

Everyone in the dungeon looks up at the source of the deep dark voice a floor above them. Nabooru shivers. "…Ganondorf. Link, you have to get out of here!"

Link shakes his head. "I'm not leaving without getting you and your sisters out!" Link goes to the door of the cage. He tries open to door but finds it locked. "Damn, do you guys know where the keys are?!"

One of the Gerudo sighs. "Ganondorf is the only one who holds the key to this cell. He only comes down here when he needs to…use us."

Navi shudders.

Link yanks on the lock but to no avail. An idea comes to him and he looks up to Nabooru. "Stand back."

Link reaches into his bag and pulls out three bombs. Nabooru and the rest of the Gerudos in the cell get the message and move as far away as they can from the door.

"_For those of you down there do not think I shall kill you. You will be kept alive until I am satisfied that even in death I shall hear your tortured screams."_

Link lights the bombs and stands back from the cage door.

_KABOOM! SLAM!_

The prison door falls forward, broken. Nabooru and her two Gerudo sisters carefully step out of the cell.

Link extends his hand to the three of them. "Alright, everyone hold hands and I'll get us out of here."

"Oh, I highly doubt that."

Nabooru's eyes widen and the other two Gerudos take steps back. Link turns around to see the large imposing figure of Ganondorf. A cold chill goes down Link's spine as Ganondorf stares the boy down.

* * *

Kratos pulls up his shield as Nabooru jumps through the air, scimitars in hand.

_Clang! Clang!_

Kratos leaps backward and readies Flameberg.

_Hell Pyre!_

"Aaah!" Nabooru staggers backward, her left side singed. The warrior leader narrows her eyes at Kratos before leaping back into the fray.

* * *

All the while, Koume watches the fight unfold below them. The old woman cackles. "Such raw entertainment is hard to come by these days." She turns over her shoulder. "Kotake, what is taking you so long? You're missing all the—"

An unknown force causes Koume to lose her balance on her broom and fall to the ground. Kotake comes out, half of her face scarred. She glares at her sister.

* * *

Link's hands tremble as Ganondorf walks towards him. He never takes his eyes off the large man as his own eyes take in every bit of detail about him.

Ganondorf narrows his eyes at Link. He blinks when Ganondorf turns to Koume instead, his face seething with anger. "_This_…is the intruder?! This…boy!? Explain to me why my forces could not handle this child, Koume."

Koume gulps. "W-Well, my lord. It's…It's a lot more…you see—GAK!"

Ganondorf's squeezes Koume's neck and lifts the old witch up into the air. He smiles as she struggles to stay conscious. "Stutter one more time and I promise Kotake's burned face will be a lot better looking than yours."

Nabooru eyes glance down to Link as he reaches down into his pack as quietly as possible. She sees him pull out a purple Ocarina and her eyes flash.

Ganondorf looks towards them and drops Koume to the ground. "What is that in the bag, boy?"

Link quickly puts the Ocarina of Time back in his bag. "Uh…nothing."

Ganondorf chuckles. "Don't try being cute with me, boy." His smile suddenly fades. "Empty the bag."

Nabooru sweats as Link slowly goes back into his pack. Her eyes drift to the Kokiri Sword on his back.

"EMPTY THE BAG!"

_Swoosh! Stab!_

"Argh!" Ganondorf grunted in pain and falls to his knee, clutching his stomach.

Link reaches to his back but couldn't feel for the Kokiri Sword. Nabooru turns to him and her sisters. "Run!" The two Gerudos and her sprint past Ganondorf.

Link runs after them. "No, wait!"

Nabooru turns back towards Link. "Are you nuts, kid? We can't stay here!"

Ganondorf slowly pulls the Kokiri sword out of his stomach and throws it away from him.

Link pulls out the Ocarina of Time. "Make sure all of you are holding on to me or this won't work!"

"NABOORU!"

The four of them look back to see Ganondorf struggling but still walking up the stairs towards them.

Navi flies out of Link's hat. "Hurry, Link!"

Link quickly performs the Prelude to Light. All of them vanish as the surroundings of dungeon disappear around them. The last image the five of them remember is the hatred burning in Ganondorf's eyes.

* * *

Flamberge and Scimitar clang as Nabooru's duel with Kratos continues. Koume watches as Kotake rejoins her sister. "Are they still going at it?"

Koume chuckles. "That fool of a swordsman doesn't wish to kill this woman. It's just too bad she'll never break free of our control. We win sis-" Koume coughs and rubs her neck.

Kotake glances towards her. "The excitement too much for your old heart?"

Koume starts wheezing. "Kotake…I-I can't breathe…" Koume falls to the floor, gasping for air.

_Air Thrust!_

Kratos intentionally casts the spell away from Nabooru so she's only partially hit. She is able to dodge and her burning yellow eyes glare at the angel.

Noishe ears start twitch. **"Something's wrong, Kratos. I feel some strange energy…"**

* * *

Bright light engulfs the temple as Kotake shields her good eye from what is happening around her.

"Aaah!" The witch loses her balance and falls backward onto the floor. Kotake groans in pain from the fall. She gets up and gasps.

In front of her stand Kratos, Link, Nabooru, and her two Gerudo sisters. Each of them have their weapons out ready to strike.

Kotake looks around but finds no evidence of her Koume anywhere. It then hits her. "Y-You." She points at Link. "You've been messing with the past, haven't you?"

Nabooru, showing no signs she was possessed before, turns to Link. "You said she wouldn't remember the previous time line events."

"You will pay for your betrayal Nabooru. You will all pay—" Kotake is silence by Nabooru's scimitar through her stomach. The old witch falls back to the ground, dead.

Noishe sighs. **"Finally. That old lady gave me the creeps."**

Newfound power begins to flow in Nabooru's body. She turns to her two sisters. "Shimah…Lamah, return to the Fortress. Tell Aveil she's in charge of our tribe for good now."

Shimah goes to retort but is left speechless as Nabooru disappears from sight. Lamah turns to Link. "What happened to her? Is she…dead?"

Link shakes his head. "No…she's…become the Sage of Spirit." Both Link, Kratos, and Noishe start to disappear as well. Link turns to the two of them and smiles. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon and stop by the Fortress."

Lamah and Shimah are left slightly clueless as the three of them disappear as well.

* * *

Noishe is in awe as he glances around the Chamber of the Sages. "Where are we?"

Link glances back at him. "The Chamber of the Sages. It was the only place Ganondorf hadn't corrupted in the future."

"And thanks to you, his rule will soon come to an end." Link, Kratos, and Noishe turn towards Nabooru. "I can't think of anything to say other than thank you, kid. You saved not only me but Lamah and Shimah from a fate worse than death. I know what Koume and Kotake would have done to us if you hadn't saved us. Still…I can't believe that I'M the Sage of Spirit."

Link smiles. "Stranger things have happened. Besides, I can't think of anyone better, Nabooru."

Nabooru closes her eyes and chuckles. "Such a little kid. I guess it is hard to believe that such a carefree kid like yourself is the Hero of Time, Link." Nabooru holds her arms in the air and a bronze medallion floats down to Link who pockets it.

Nabooru sighs. "You've grown up to be so handsome. I should have kept my promise to you…but I can tell where your heart really lies."

"_Link…"_

Link sees Rauru appear before him. "Now that all six sages are awakened, the final showdown has come upon us. But before you face against the King of Evil, you must meet with one last Sage in the Temple of Time."

Link blinks. "But…I thought I released all the Sages. Who is waiting for me?"

Kratos narrows his eyes as the three of them are transported out and back into the real world.

"So...you deliberately disobeyed me, gambled with the fabric of time, and rescued Nabooru and her Gerudo sisters."

Link turns to Kratos and rubs the back of his neck. "Uh...yeah, I guess I did."

Kratos stares down at the boy. "You realize, Link...that you were dangerously close to changing the future for the worse?"

Link nods. "I do and frankly...it was the right thing to do." Link gets in Kratos' face. "You can lecture me on the reasons why I shouldn't have made the effort to save Lamah, Shimah, and Nabooru...but I will not turn my back on anyone in need...ever."

Link turns and walks away from Kratos as a lone breeze blows in between them.

**Martel: So...what happened?**

**Me: Link changed the future in the past.**

**Martel: But if he changed the future at the end of the chapter...the beginning of the chapter never happened, right?**

**Me: It happened, but in another way since the future changed.**

**Martel: ...I have a major headache. Please review and give me some Advil...**

**Me: Couldn't you just heal yourself?**

**Martel: STOP MAKING MY HEAD HURT!**


End file.
